Some fresh leaks of Bungie's upcoming live-service extraction shooter Marathon suggest that the game has seen hefty improvements behind the scenes. Bungie has been conducting numerous rounds of NDA-bound closed playtesting for Marathon, and the latest bout of leaked info highlights the addition of a new Runner, overhauled faction systems, and more.
Marathon was originally slated to launch on September 23, 2025, but Bungie delayed the game following lukewarm feedback to Alpha testing and controversy surrounding stolen art assets, promising more development time and a new release window to be announced later this fall. In the meantime, the studio has continued to host Marathon playtests every month, giving select players early access to new builds. Marathon's Closed Playtest 3 ran from September 5–7, and though Bungie has taken steps to keep information locked down, a familiar insider has managed to procure and share details.
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Marathon Playtest Leak Points to Substantial Upgrades
Over on Twitter, well-known Destiny 2 dataminer Deakstiny recently posted a detailed breakdown — which Bungie has since issued DMCA takedowns for — of several notable upgrades in the latest Marathon playtest. The faction screen has been completely redesigned, with all six in-game factions — Cyberacme, Nucaloric, Traxus, MIDA, Arachne, and Sekiguchi — receiving full visual overhauls and cinematic intros lasting more than 30 seconds each. Cosmetics from the previous playtest were removed, leaving Marathon players with only default skins. However, the new runner, officially named "Icon," suggests future customization options with her "Default Skin 01" label.
Formerly codenamed "Thief," Icon adds a new dynamic to Marathon via a set of unique abilities: a grapple hook reminiscent of Apex Legends' Pathfinder, an X-ray vision mode that highlights loot containers and enemy outlines, and a loot-stealing drone capable of pulling rare items from opponents. On the map side, testers began on the revamped Outpost, which now features environmental hazards like falling sparks that deal damage over time. Later in the session, Marathon playtesters were introduced to Cryo Archive, the first playable map set aboard the iconic UESC Marathon ship. This map incorporated puzzle-like elements requiring keys and items to progress, though some areas appeared unfinished and still in development.
Interestingly, Bungie supposedly rewarded participants who logged in daily to the Marathon playtests with $500 gift cards, so the studio is clearly taking this phase of testing very seriously. There's a lot more that Bungie plans to add to Marathon too, like proximity chat, smarter and more challenging AI, additional narrative and environmental storytelling elements, new types of loot and dynamic encounters, etc. At the time of writing, it isn't known when or where Marathon's new release date will be announced, but PlayStation's rumored State of Play at the end of September is a viable candidate.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Extraction Shooter, FPS, Multiplayer
