Marathon will not be a free-to-play game but will be a premium title. Dive deeper to understand Marathon's pricing strategy and the reasons behind the developers' decision to exclude proximity chat.
Marathon Development Updates
Marathon Will Not Be Free-To-Play
The Marathon Director has officially confirmed that the game will not follow the free-to-play model but will be a premium title. During a live gameplay showcase hosted by Bungie, Marathon's developer, on April 13, the release date was announced alongside a captivating new gameplay trailer. However, the exact price of the game remains under wraps, sparking curiosity among fans about its monetization strategy.
On the April 14 episode of the Friends Per Second podcast, Marathon Director Joe Ziegler clarified that the game will not be free-to-play. He stated, "We’re hoping that what we’re showing is exciting enough that someone is going to take the leap with us, but we are also committed to delivering on seasons past this that will continuously offer to evolve the game without an increase to the box price."
Ziegler expressed confidence in the game's current state of enjoyability and reiterated the team's dedication to enhancing it further. "Everyone’s got their own definition of what is the right price," he noted.
Fan speculation about Marathon's pricing has been rampant across social media platforms. However, Bungie clarified via a Twitter (X) post on April 13 that Marathon will not be a full-priced title but a premium one, with more pricing details to be announced this summer.
Marathon Will Not Have Proximity Chat
Proximity chat, a feature that allows players to communicate based on their in-game proximity, has become increasingly popular in multiplayer games, enhancing the interactive and immersive experience. However, it also introduces the risk of toxicity, as players can hear both friendly and offensive remarks.
This concern led Bungie to omit proximity chat from Marathon. In an interview with PC Gamer, Joe Ziegler explained the decision, stating, "When it comes to prox chat, I don't think we're against the experience of it, to be fair. I think the challenge is how to make sure we're creating a safe environment for players inside of that space."
Ziegler emphasized the team's commitment to fostering a safe environment for players, acknowledging that they currently lack a solution to mitigate the toxicity associated with proximity chat. This omission may impact the game's ability to facilitate interactions with opposing teams and strategic negotiations within the map, particularly for an extraction shooter like Marathon.
Despite the potential benefits, Bungie has yet to find an ideal solution for integrating proximity chat safely, so it will remain out of the game for now. Ziegler concluded, "I think that's where we stand right now. Like, if it was magical and we could somehow come up with that solution, I think we totally would do it. But right now, it is a challenge that many companies are trying to figure out."
Marathon is slated for release on September 23, 2025, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Keep an eye on our updates for the latest information on the game!
