Bungie talks about what’s next for Marathon ahead of its Symbiosis PvE update, giving players meaningful content, and how it isn’t a replacement for Destiny 2.
Marathon is going down a tricky road. Despite offering a world brimming with stellar art direction and tight-knit combat to get stuck into, Bungie's extraction shooter isn't quite gelling with players. There are myriad reasons why, but it certainly doesn't help that the shooter follows a difficult period for Destiny 2. Now, with plans to tackle player concerns head-on, Bungie has outlined what comes next.
You may have seen that Bungie is working on restoring expansions for Destiny 2 as the developer looks to resurrect a wealth of vaulted content. It's part of a larger roadmap, if you will, to appease players who feel Bungie let them down toward the end of the game's lifespan. However, there's an elephant in the room, and that's Marathon. The studio reiterates that the sci-fi FPS is "an important part of shaping where Bungie goes next," but clarifies that Marathon was "never intended to replace Destiny."
To that end, Bungie acknowledges that "it did not reach as many players as we hoped." A look at Marathon's Steam Charts page highlights the game's dwindling player count, with its average concurrent player count falling from 11,441 in June to 4,749 in July and 2,827 in August. So where does it go from here? Well, Bungie says the team understands "the game needs to evolve."
We've already seen some inklings of what this will look like. The forthcoming Symbiosis update in December will serve as a major change for Marathon, introducing the game's permanent PvE mode. Bungie recently confirmed that the update will include a "refreshed Perimeter experience" alongside an all-new Runner shell and a Team Deathmatch mode. However, the latter seems somewhat at odds with what Marathon is all about. At its core, it's an extraction shooter.
That's the hook, that's the juice. Yes, it isn't exactly friendly to more casual players, but that challenge also forms part of its appeal, especially for those looking for a tougher experience. Either way, Bungie adds, "it's important to us that no matter your playstyle or your skill level, we find better ways to hear from you as we get back to where we need to be: making games you want to play."
Bungie's plans suggest Marathon won't abandon its extraction roots, but it does want to give players more ways to experience its universe. With Symbiosis on the horizon, the next few months could prove crucial for Bungie's shooter.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pcgamesn.com/marathon/next-chapter-bungie
