Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter,Marathon, was initially teased all the way back in May 2023, but it has recently seen a deluge of new trailers and information in the lead-up to itsSeptember 23 release later this year. This included the first looks at the first-person gameplay, but starting next week, you can expect a lot more footage to surface now that Bungie has eased restrictions on the upcoming closed alpha playtest.
According toBungie,Marathon’s closed alpha playtest will no longer have a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), meaning participants are free to share their thoughts on the upcoming game. Bungie’s announcement clarifies that “everyone can share their thoughts, feedback, and footage, including streaming” as soon as the closed alpha playtest begins on April 23. This openness is in the interest of making “the best version of Maration” possible.
Marathon’s Closed Alpha Begins April 23, Sign-Up Open Now
You’re Not Guaranteed Access
Like many multiplayer games,Marathonis hosting a closed alpha – meaning it’s invite-only – to gather feedback on a variety of things. According to Bungie, the primary areas of focus developers are looking for feedback on are weapons and gunplay, map design, the Runners and how they play, progression systems, and combat against both bots and other players.Alphas are typically very early vertical slices of games, and Bungie stresses that this is the case withMarathon’s own – it’s an incomplete build, and is missing many facets expected at launch.
Despite the limited number of slots available, anyone is welcome to, which is taking place on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Signing up requires a detour to the game’s official Discord server, from which you’ll be redirected to theMarathonwebsite. You’ll be asked about your preferred platform and be given the opportunity to link an account, after which you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire that should only take a few minutes.
Bungie Wants To Hear Your Feedback Before Marathon’s Release Later This Year
Marathon Has Stiff Competition
Marathonis only five months away from its release, which means most of the gameplay systems are firmly in place.Marathonis entering a tough live-service market, though, so any final tweaks that can be made as a result of player feedback are likely to help the game in the long run. Dropping the NDA before the closed alpha even begins is an interesting move, andit guarantees more people will get deep insight into the game ahead of its full launch. It may also help the fledgling playerbase get more invested if they’re able to participate inMarathon’s ultimate direction.
Bungie has delivered some of the most iconic first-person shooters ever made, butMarathonwill be a unique challenge. The extraction shooter genre seems ripe for a new entry, but only two games have found long-term success in the space:Escape from TarkovandHunt: Showdown.Marathoncertainly has a standout style, but whether it succeeds is going to come down to gameplay, and scrapping the closed alpha NDA could potentially be a major boon to a game that needs to cultivate a dedicated playerbase.
