Marathon Already Improving After Delay, New Closed Alpha Brings Visual Improvements And More

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Bungie Is Using The Delay To Full Effect!

Story Highlight
  • Bungie has made many gameplay and visual improvements to Marathon following the negatively received playtest.
  • The game looks much better visually and has incorporated multiple balance changes based on fan feedback.
  • Leaks say the live-service title will go through more improvements following the delay.

Sony’s live service push has been nothing to write home about so far, with Helldivers 2 being the only outright success while other titles like Concord have ended up failing miserably. The future of the company’s multiplayer ambition, more or less, relies on how Bungie’s Marathon performs, but even that had a rough PR hit recently.

The game was met with a negative reception internally and also faced plagiarism allegations, leading to an indefinite delay. Now, a new report suggests that Bungie is using the extra time to its full effect, and Marathon is in much better condition than before.

Why it matters: Bungie listening to fans and delaying Marathon to make much-needed improvements might save the game from humiliation.

Marathon Bungie
How Marathon looked in the first Alpha build.

According to a Forbes report by Paul Tassi, new screenshots leaked by a user on X showcase the improved visual fidelity of the live-service title with better lighting and more density. As per Tassi, these improvements were made after the last alpha build, which had tested negatively among players.

In addition, the screenshots depict bodies lying on the floor after kills, which means Bungie listened to the players’ complaints regarding bodies disappearing. UI changes and a more coherent map legend have also been added to the game, making it easier for players to track anomalies. 

Other additions include a medic runner, which functions like the Lifeline in Apex Legends, providing you with a healing drone to restore health. Resurrection time, however, has seen an increase, but of course, this can change as Marathon develops further.

bungie marathon
Marathon currently has no specified release date.

With these new changes, it will be interesting to see how the game performs once it releases.

Fans already predict Marathon to be a flop like Concord, and even Sony has now admitted that the live-service title is a risky launch. Hence, the ball is in Bungie’s court to defy some glaring odds.

Do you think Marathon will be a success? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.

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