Bungie’s ‘Marathon’ Faces Mounting Criticism Online
The new game Marathon by Bungie has come under intense criticism. A section of the gaming community appears eager to see the game fail, with some labeling it “dead-on-arrival” even before it has had time to establish itself. A website has even been created tracking the game’s active player count in real time, effectively announcing the “death” of the game as the numbers fluctuate, reports Forbes.
As Bungie’s first new intellectual property (IP) in the past decade, Marathon has been one of the most discussed games in recent years. Announced in 2023, the game was released in September 2025. On Steam, the number of concurrent players once peaked at around 67,000, though it has now declined to approximately 20,000. Despite the drop, the game’s performance is far from that of Concord, which had roughly 700 players. Nevertheless, on social media Marathon is being labeled “Concord 2.”
Game analyst and Forbes journalist Paul Tassi has identified several reasons behind what he describes as a “culture of hate.” First, he points to ongoing cultural conflicts within gaming communities. After the failure of games such as Concord and Hyenas, some players now seem inclined to anticipate the failure of any new title. Second, there is widespread frustration with hero shooters and live-service games. Third, long-time fans of the Destiny series harbor lingering resentment toward Bungie.
According to many critics, the development of Marathon disrupted progress on Destiny 2, while the future of Destiny 3 now appears uncertain. Fourth, there has emerged a growing trend of “betting” on a game’s failure by monitoring its position on Steam charts—an activity that has effectively turned into a form of online sport.
Experts, however, say the real situation differs significantly from the uproar on social media. Although Marathon has been widely branded “Concord 2” online, its actual performance tells a different story. As a paid title priced at $40, the game once climbed to third place on Steam’s list of top-selling games. At present, it maintains an average of around 18,000 daily players, a figure analysts consider sufficient for sustainability. Since the game was not built on the engine used for Destiny 2, it remains difficult to predict its long-term future. Nonetheless, analysts believe there is no immediate risk of the game shutting down within just a few weeks of its release.
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