Bungie Delays Marathon Update and Scraps Strict Seasonal Schedule

Bungie is changing the way it delivers content for Marathon. The developer announced it is moving away from a strict seasonal schedule to give the team more flexibility to build, test, and improve features before they are released. This shift results in the delay of content originally planned for this month, which is now scheduled to launch in December.

To bridge the gap, a smaller update called the Nightfall refresh will launch on October 6. This update will reset the in-game economy and progression while refreshing rewards. Bungie stated this reset is necessary because issues with the previous season accelerated some players into the endgame while leaving others behind, which made Extraction more difficult to engage with and prevented the reset from working as intended.

The October refresh will also bring back the Vault Breaker PvE mode for a limited time. Bungie plans to run other gameplay experiments between October and the larger Symbiosis update arriving in December.

The Symbiosis update will make PvE a permanent mode. It will also introduce a new Runner shell, a social space featuring a firing range, and an experimental Team Deathmatch mode. Bungie described Symbiosis as the beginning of their goals for the title, noting that they intend to evolve Marathon into a more alien and dynamic survival experience.

Bungie intends to share more details regarding the future of the game through Dev Insights videos and regular development updates. A blog post detailing these future plans is scheduled for later this month. Dylan Gafner, Bungie's communications boss, stated on X that players can expect more communications from the team over the coming weeks and months.