Bungie's Marathon Allegedly Priced at $40—Will It Escape Concord's Fate?
Bungie’s upcoming PvP extraction shooter Marathon is reportedly set to launch with a $40 price tag, according to a recent report from Forbes. This pricing decision comes on the heels of Sony’s disastrous attempt with Concord, a $40 premium shooter that crashed and burned not long after its release. Concord was pulled from the shelves just two weeks after it launched when it catastrophically failed to capture any significant player base.
Apparently, the choice to stick with a premium price for Marathon comes down to timing. According to Forbes’ Paul Tassi, Marathon was too far along in development to pivot back to a free-to-play model. A source with knowledge of Marathon also claims Bungie briefly considered the shift after witnessing the lukewarm reception to Embark Studios’ The Finals. However, the runaway success of another $40 title, Helldivers 2, pushed Bungie to stick to its guns.
Set to launch in 2025, Marathon will be a reboot of the beloved Bungie franchise, but with a twist—this time, it’s a PvP extraction shooter. Players will compete to gather resources and survive hostile encounters, all while navigating a constantly changing environment. Extraction shooters, a genre riding high on the success of games like Escape from Tarkov and Call of Duty: DMZ, have recently seen a rise in popularity. Bungie aims to put its own spin on the formula by incorporating a class/hero shooter system reminiscent of Apex Legends, but with expanded customization options.
Still, some fans are wary. The fate of Concord, which reportedly only sold a mere 25,000 units before being prematurely shut down by Sony, looms large. The crowded shooter market is ruthless, and premium pricing is always a gamble. But Bungie, known for Destiny 2 and its knack for live-service success, may have the secret sauce to make Marathon stand out.
We’ll have to wait until spring 2025 to see if Marathon can secure a win—or if it’s bound for the same graveyard as Concord. Keep your wallets ready (or your skepticism) and stay tuned for more updates.
