Bungie’s Marathon: From Cult Classic to Bold New Beginning
When people hear the name Bungie, they often think of Halo or Destiny. But long before Master Chief or Guardians existed, Bungie made its mark with a sci-fi shooter called Marathon. First released in the mid-1990s and now reborn as a modern multiplayer experience, Marathon is one of gaming’s most fascinating stories of reinvention.
Whether you’re a long-time Bungie fan, a curious newcomer, or someone wondering why this name keeps popping up again, this blog will walk you through what Marathon is, where it came from, and why it matters today.
The Original Marathon: A 1990s Sci-Fi Cult Classic
The original Marathon launched in 1994, exclusively for Apple Macintosh computers. At the time, first-person shooters were still finding their identity, and Doom dominated the genre. Marathon stood out by doing something unusual: telling a deep, complex story.
You played as a security officer aboard the colony ship Marathon, orbiting the planet Tau Ceti. What began as a simple defence against alien invaders quickly evolved into a philosophical sci-fi narrative involving rogue artificial intelligence, time loops, and questions about free will.
Unlike many shooters of the era, Marathon delivered its story through in-game computer terminals. Players who took the time to read them discovered layers of lore that were surprisingly thoughtful and often unsettling. This storytelling approach would later become a hallmark of Bungie’s design philosophy.
Gameplay That Was Ahead of Its Time
Mechanically, Marathon was innovative in ways that modern players might take for granted:
- Independent vertical aiming (you could look up and down)
- Dual-wielding weapons
- Smarter enemy AI
- More open, maze-like level design
These features helped Marathon build a loyal fan base, even if it never achieved mainstream popularity on the level of Doom. Two sequels—Marathon 2: Durandal and Marathon Infinity—expanded the story and cemented the series as a cult favourite.
The Legacy of Marathon
Although Bungie eventually moved on to Halo after being acquired by Microsoft, Marathon never truly disappeared. Fans continued to analyse its story, connect its themes to later Bungie games, and preserve its legacy.
If you’ve played Halo or Destiny, some ideas may feel familiar:
- Mysterious AIs with god-like power
- Fragmented storytelling
- A sense that the player is part of something much larger and stranger than it first appears
Marathon laid the groundwork for all of that.
The Big Surprise: Marathon Returns
In 2023, Bungie shocked the gaming world by announcing a brand-new Marathon—not a remake, but a reimagining.
This new Marathon is a multiplayer extraction shooter, a genre where players enter dangerous zones, gather valuable loot, and try to escape alive. Think high tension, high stakes, and meaningful risk with every decision.
This marked a major shift from the original single-player experience, but Bungie was clear: the spirit of Marathon—mystery, survival, and sci-fi intrigue—would remain intact.
What Is the New Marathon About?
The modern Marathon is set on Tau Ceti IV, a lost colony world filled with abandoned technology, rival factions, and hidden dangers. Players take on the role of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have given up their human bodies in exchange for powerful synthetic forms.
Each match sends players into the world to:
- Scavenge for gear and resources
- Complete objectives
- Fight AI enemies and other players
- Extract safely before losing everything
Death matters. Surviving matters more.
A Bold Visual Style
One of the most striking aspects of the new Marathon is its art direction. Bungie moved away from gritty realism and instead embraced bold colours, sharp contrasts, and a clean sci-fi aesthetic that feels both futuristic and unsettling.
This visual identity helps Marathon stand apart in a crowded multiplayer market and signals that Bungie isn’t just chasing trends—they’re trying to define their own space again.
How Marathon Fits into Bungie’s Future
For Bungie, Marathon represents more than just another game. It’s their first new IP in over a decade and a chance to show they can innovate beyond Destiny.
Unlike Destiny, Marathon:
- Is not a traditional live-service RPG
- Focuses on session-based gameplay
- Leans heavily into PvP tension and player choice
At the same time, Bungie is bringing its signature strengths: tight gunplay, rich world-building, and long-term support.
Why Some Fans Are Excited—and Nervous
The announcement of Marathon sparked mixed reactions, and that’s understandable.
Reasons for excitement:
- Bungie’s reputation for excellent shooting mechanics
- A fresh take on a beloved classic
- Strong art direction and world-building
Reasons for concern:
- The shift away from single-player storytelling
- A competitive genre with tough expectations
- Questions about monetization and long-term balance
Still, even sceptical fans are watching closely, curious to see how Bungie handles this ambitious project.
Why Marathon Matters
Marathon is a rare example of a game that bridges gaming history and modern design. It connects Bungie’s earliest ideas with their current ambitions, showing how far both the studio and the industry have come.
For older players, it’s a nostalgic nod to a time when shooters dared to be weird and thoughtful. For newer players, it’s an entry point into a universe that values mystery, atmosphere, and player-driven stories.
Bungie’s Marathon is more than just a revival—it’s a reinvention. From its origins as a ground breaking 1990s shooter to its modern incarnation as a high-stakes multiplayer experience, Marathon reflects Bungie’s willingness to take risks.
Whether the new game becomes a long-term success remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Marathon is back in the conversation, and once again, it’s challenging players to survive, explore, and uncover the truth behind a strange and dangerous world.
And for a series that’s always been about questions rather than answers, that feels perfectly fitting.
