The Developer's Troubled Action Game Marathon Shows Signs of Life

The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Bungie's much-anticipated game, has reared its head again with the announcement of a closed technical test scheduled to take place soon.

A Rocky Development Journey

First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has experienced a bumpy development cycle. In October 2024, the developer announced it was aiming to begin alpha testing during the coming year. A period of silence followed, until the project was re-revealed in April with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, after some playtests resulted in mixed reactions, the studio announced in June that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Though Marathon has already encountered its fair share of controversies, the development team appears committed to make certain their project avoids Concord's fate. Now, it appears the project's progress is finally getting back on track, as they just disclosed that it has run "several closed playtests to collect player input on the game" since this past summer. The developer is opening the doors a bit wider, allowing more players to catch a glimpse of the experience via an upcoming "closed technical test."

Technical Test Details

Considering it's a private technical test, it's understandably limited access than, for example, an public test. To gain access in the technical test — which runs from Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PDT to October 28th — players must satisfy the following requirements:

• Submit an application via their platform
• Reside in Europe or North America
• Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, or Windows PC (system requirements include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and 8GB RAM)
• Join their community platform
• Complete confidentiality agreement via the online community

How to Apply

Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the private trial, applicants must complete registration by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. Players on Windows PC can also register via Steam starting on October 13th, with digital platform registrations due by October 26th. The developer will contact players who qualify and provide details of the next steps.

"This represents a crucial milestone for us as we evaluate enhancements since the game's Alpha, including three maps, several character options, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, individual matchmaking, deeper environmental storytelling, and additional features," the studio said. "That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a selection of what's intended for Marathon's final version, concentrating on the early player experience."

Additional Information

Additional details about the technical test and the actual experience can be located on Marathon's support section. But for individuals who don't qualify for the test (or don't have time), there's positive developments: The developer says a public update on the state of the game is the following item on the schedule once the test is over.

"We'll be sharing a comprehensive report on the game's progress in the near future after the Closed Technical Test!" The studio announced.