Bungie is finally ready to talk about Marathon again. After indefinitely delaying the extraction shooter back in June 2025 and going mostly quiet for months, The Game Post exclusively reported on November 11, 2025 that a new vidoc (video documentary) is in the works and planned to arrive relatively soon. For a game that’s been through delays, disappointing playtests, and major leadership changes, this upcoming showcase needs to prove that Marathon is worth the wait.
What Went Wrong With Marathon
To understand why this vidoc matters so much, you need to know Marathon’s rocky journey. Bungie announced the game in May 2023 as their first completely new IP in over a decade, bringing back the Marathon name from their pre-Halo days. The extraction shooter was positioned as Bungie’s next big thing, combining their signature gunplay with the high-stakes loot-and-extract gameplay loop that games like Escape from Tarkov popularized.
Fast forward to April 2025, and Bungie held a closed alpha test that was supposed to generate hype. Instead, it generated concern. Critics and players who got hands-on time came away disappointed, with many openly stating the game needed significant work and should be delayed. The consensus was clear: Marathon wasn’t ready for its planned September 23, 2025 release date. Bungie listened and indefinitely delayed the game in June, promising to share progress updates and a new release date during the fall.
What the Vidoc Will Show
According to The Game Post’s sources, the upcoming vidoc will provide an updated look at Marathon’s systems, visual changes, and the current state of the game after months of closed playtesting. Bungie has been running monthly playtests since the delay, with the most recent closed technical test attracting around 80,000 players across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. That’s a substantial testing pool, and presumably all that feedback has led to significant improvements worth showing off.
One major change involves how Runner customization works. In Marathon, Runners are the cybernetic mercenaries players control, with different shells serving as character classes. Each shell has its own look, voice, personality, and abilities. The new approach Bungie is taking offers several versions of the same shell type that look and sound different while keeping the same abilities and silhouette. For example, you might have a Stealth shell from the Void series, with additional shells added to that series over time or entirely new series introduced.
Ben Starr as Durandal
The Game Post also revealed that Ben Starr, known for his performance as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI, voices the rampant AI Durandal in Marathon. That’s a significant detail for longtime fans of the original Marathon trilogy. Durandal was a central character in those games, a rogue AI with its own agenda who players interacted with throughout the story. Having a talented voice actor like Starr bring that character to life suggests Bungie is taking the narrative elements seriously despite Marathon being a multiplayer-focused extraction shooter.
This isn’t the only notable casting. The Game Post previously reported that Roger Clark, famous for playing Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, voices a character named General Davic Reed. These aren’t throwaway roles voiced by whoever was available in the studio. Bungie is assembling a legitimate cast of talented performers, which indicates there’s more story and character work in Marathon than you might expect from a genre typically light on narrative.
The March 2026 Target
During Sony’s latest earnings call, CFO Lin Tao mentioned that Marathon is still planned to release within the current fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2026. That gives Bungie roughly four months from when the vidoc presumably drops to get the game polished, marketed, and shipped. It’s a tight timeline, but not impossible if the game is genuinely in better shape than it was during that disappointing April alpha.
The fall announcement window that Bungie promised has already passed (fall 2025 ended in November), so this vidoc is likely arriving in the next few weeks, probably December 2025 or early January 2026. That would give Bungie time to build hype through the holidays, potentially coinciding with The Game Awards or another major gaming event where they can reach a massive audience. A March 2026 release would then arrive with a couple months of marketing momentum behind it.
What Bungie Needs to Prove
This vidoc isn’t just a marketing exercise. It’s Bungie’s chance to prove they’ve listened to feedback and made meaningful improvements. The April alpha feedback was brutal, with complaints about unclear objectives, repetitive gameplay loops, unsatisfying gunplay (from Bungie of all studios), and a general sense that the game didn’t justify its existence in an increasingly crowded extraction shooter market.
Bungie needs to show that Marathon has a hook beyond just being the new game from the Halo and Destiny creators. What makes it different from Escape from Tarkov, Hunt Showdown, or The Cycle Frontier? Why should players invest time learning its systems when they’re already comfortable with existing extraction shooters? The vidoc needs to answer these questions with concrete examples of unique mechanics, compelling world-building, and gameplay moments that look genuinely fun rather than just competent.
The Live Service Question
Marathon is being designed as a live service game, which means Bungie is betting on years of post-launch support, seasonal content, and ongoing player engagement. That’s a tough sell in 2025 when live service fatigue is real and players are selective about which games get their limited time and money. Bungie knows this better than anyone – Destiny 2 has survived for years through consistent updates, but it’s also faced criticism for requiring massive time investments to stay current.
The shell customization approach mentioned in the leak suggests Bungie is thinking about long-term content pipelines. Adding new shell variants within existing series or creating entirely new series gives them avenues for both free and paid content drops. The question is whether the base game is compelling enough to retain players long enough for those content additions to matter. You can have the best post-launch roadmap in the world, but if players bounce after two weeks because the core loop isn’t fun, none of it matters.
Community Expectations
The Marathon community that’s been waiting patiently (or impatiently) since the delay announcement has mixed feelings right now. Some are optimistic that the extra development time will result in a dramatically improved experience. Others remain skeptical that Bungie can salvage what they experienced in the alpha into something worth playing. The vidoc needs to win over both groups while also appealing to players who haven’t paid much attention to Marathon yet.
One advantage Bungie has is their track record. Even when Destiny launches have been rocky, the studio has shown they can iterate and improve over time. The Taken King expansion saved Destiny 1. Forsaken revitalized Destiny 2. Bungie knows how to course-correct when things aren’t working. The difference here is that Marathon doesn’t have the luxury of launching rough and fixing things later. In today’s market, you get one chance to make a first impression, and if players don’t like what they see at launch, they’ll move on to something else.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Marathon vidoc coming out?
According to The Game Post’s November 11, 2025 report, a new Marathon vidoc is planned to arrive relatively soon. While no specific date was given, December 2025 or early January 2026 seems likely given the game’s March 2026 target release window.
What is a vidoc?
A vidoc (video documentary) is a behind-the-scenes look at game development that Bungie pioneered with the Halo series. These videos typically feature developer interviews, gameplay footage, and insights into design decisions.
When will Marathon be released?
Marathon was delayed indefinitely in June 2025 from its original September 2025 release date. Sony stated the game is targeting a release before March 31, 2026, though this has not been officially confirmed by Bungie.
Who voices Durandal in Marathon?
Ben Starr, known for playing Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI, voices the rampant AI Durandal in Marathon. Roger Clark from Red Dead Redemption 2 also voices a character named General Davic Reed.
What platforms will Marathon be on?
Marathon is confirmed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. The game features crossplay support across all platforms.
Why was Marathon delayed?
Marathon was delayed after a closed alpha test in April 2025 received disappointing feedback from critics and players. Many felt the game needed significant work before it would be ready for release.
What kind of game is Marathon?
Marathon is a team-based extraction shooter set on the planet Tau Ceti IV. Players take on the role of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who explore the planet looking for loot while competing against other players and AI enemies.
Final Thoughts
The upcoming Marathon vidoc represents a crucial moment for Bungie and the game’s future. After months of silence following a disappointing alpha and indefinite delay, the studio needs to show they’ve used that extra development time wisely. The details about improved customization, talented voice actors, and ongoing playtesting are encouraging, but ultimately the vidoc needs to make Marathon look fun, unique, and worth playing in a crowded market.
If Bungie can stick the landing with this showcase and deliver on the March 2026 window, Marathon could still become the extraction shooter that defines the genre for mainstream audiences. But if the vidoc fails to address concerns or shows a game that still feels half-baked, the skepticism will only grow louder. For Bungie’s sake, they better have something special to show. The Marathon name deserves better than just being another failed live service experiment.