After the criticism received during the Alpha period, Bungie has finally broken the silence on its new big project, the PvPvE extraction shooter Marathon. The historic creators of Halo have today published an interesting ViDoc entitled "The Vision of Marathon", revealing not only the launch window but also numerous details on the game structure, survival mechanics and the economic model chosen for this new sci-fi adventure.

Let's start with the most concrete information: the game will arrive in March 2026. And as we already knew, it will not be a free-to-play title but will have a price set at 39,99 Euros. This amount will grant us full access to the game and all future gameplay updates, which will include new maps, new "Shells" for our characters and seasonal events, at no additional cost. The developers have emphasized the importance of competitive integrity, assuring that there will be no pay-to-win mechanics: victory or defeat will depend solely on our skill and not on how much we have spent.

In the game we will play the role of a "Runner", a bio-cybernetic mercenary committed to exploring the lost colony of Tau Ceti IV. Our goal will be to survive hostile security forces, inhospitable environments, and other rival players to recover valuable loot and extract it to safety. The team has put a lot of work into the atmosphere, making the game world darker and more realistic than before, with improved graphical fidelity. A macabre but immersive detail concerns the Runners who have fallen in battle: our bodies will remain on the ground and decompose over time, becoming an integral part of the scenario.

Thanks to the feedback received during the Alpha Test phases, several highly requested new features have been introduced. These include proximity chat, which is essential for coordinating or deceiving enemies, and the ability to queue solo (Solo queue). A new option called "Rook" has also been presented: it is a Shell with limited equipment that will allow us to enter matches already in progress to try to recover resources, ideal for when we want to jump into the action without risking our best equipment.

At launch we will be able to explore four main areas: three located on the surface (Perimeter, Dire Marsh and Outpost) and one inside the UESC Marathon ship, the Cryo Archive, which will represent an endgame challenge. We will have ample freedom to customize, being able to modify weapons in unique ways and adapt our style of play through different archetypes. We will also have to manage relationships with various factions, completing specific tasks to unlock rewards and advance in ranks.

Finally, Bungie has taken a very time-friendly approach to player content when it comes to seasonal content. The "Rewards Passes" will never expire: we will be able to complete them at our own pace and we will even have the opportunity to purchase and unlock passes from previous seasons at any time, thus eliminating the fear of missing out on exclusive content.

More details on the roadmap and seasonal content will be revealed in January; in the meantime, here is the ViDoc that shows us the progress made in the game, as well as a rich set of new images.