Remember Marathon? It's the next game from Destiny developer Bungie, and it seems we're on the cusp of seeing more of it. Marathon is an extraction shooter focused on PvP gameplay, set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet's harsh conditions, as they explore the remnants of a lost colony.

It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. Back in October, Bungie shared a detailed development update video that provided insights into the game's mechanics but emphasized that it was still in the early stages of development. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in their preliminary stages.

Now, six months later, it appears Bungie is ready to unveil more of what they've been working on. A tweet from the official Marathon account, shown below, featured a cryptic image accompanied by distorted signal noise. Fans have spotted ASCII art reminiscent of footage from the debut Marathon trailer. Given Bungie's reputation for mysterious teasers, hidden clues, and Easter eggs, there's likely more to uncover, and the community is already diving in to decipher the message.

pic.twitter.com/6NBgIdRVK2

— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 4, 2025

Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, embracing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced its share of controversies in recent years. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, a move that drew criticism from industry peers. This followed another round of 100 layoffs less than a year earlier, with staff describing the atmosphere at the studio as "soul-crushing" to IGN.

Further turmoil arose when a report surfaced weeks after the 220 layoffs, alleging that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was terminated following an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie. Barrett subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.

All of this occurs amidst Sony's reevaluation of its live-service game strategy. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would focus on launching only six out of the 12 planned live service games by March 2026, marking a strategic shift that led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a smashing success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, other Sony live service titles have faced cancellations or disastrous launches. Sony's Concord, for example, is remembered as one of the biggest flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a few weeks before being taken offline due to dismal player engagement. Sony ultimately decided to terminate the game and shut down its developer.

Additionally, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games earlier this year: one a God of War project being developed by Bluepoint, and the other from Days Gone developer Bend.