Bungie’s highly anticipated extraction shooter Marathon just had one of its crown jewels leak online, and it’s absolutely worth the watch. A YouTuber managed to slip past Bungie’s fortress-level security during the Closed Technical Test and upload a full 3-minute intro cinematic that reveals the game’s epic backstory. Despite Bungie handing out DMCA strikes like candy to anyone sharing test footage, this cinematic has made its way into the hands of Marathon fans everywhere, and it’s stunning.
What The Cinematic Reveals
The leaked intro sets the entire tone for Marathon’s universe. It opens as a historical broadcast explaining how humanity launched the UESC Marathon, an enormous colony ship, toward the Tau Ceti star system to establish humanity’s first deep-space colony. People across Earth and Mars are watching as this massive achievement unfolds. “It is a historic day across the solar system,” the narrator says while the ship departs.
Then everything goes wrong. Contact with the Marathon is lost. Years pass. Decades pass. Silence. But around 100 years later, a transmission finally arrives. It’s a distress signal. And here’s the part that will make longtime Marathon fans absolutely lose their minds: the transmission contains the haunting message, “Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting.” That line is a direct callback to the original Marathon trilogy from the 1990s, which Bungie fans have been waiting to see referenced in this reboot.
The cinematic also features a distorted, AI-like face that appears throughout the video, hinting at the presence of some kind of artificial intelligence controlling or monitoring events. The entire three minutes build a sense of dread and mystery about what went wrong at Tau Ceti and why humanity is now sending teams of Runners back there to investigate.
How This Leaked Past Bungie
The cinematic was uploaded to YouTube on October 23, 2025 by an account named Shaun Weber during the Closed Technical Test, which ran from October 22 to 29. This wasn’t some random person’s clip. This was captured directly from the test build. Bungie had implemented incredibly strict rules during this technical test, forbidding players from recording, streaming, or sharing literally any footage whatsoever.
Violating those rules resulted in immediate DMCA strikes. Within hours of people uploading screenshots or clips from the CTT, Bungie’s legal team was issuing takedowns. But this intro cinematic appears to have slipped through before Bungie could respond, or perhaps Bungie decided it wasn’t worth fighting since the cat’s already out of the bag by now.
Marathon’s Rough Road To Release
It’s worth noting that Marathon has had a genuinely rough development cycle. The game was originally supposed to launch on September 23, 2025, but Bungie announced a delay in June after receiving mixed feedback from the Closed Alpha testing phase. Sony’s PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst admitted that “playtester response to Marathon has been varied,” which is corporate speak for “people didn’t like what we showed them.”
Since then, Marathon has faced a plagiarism scandal when an independent artist claimed Bungie used their artwork without permission. The game’s original director, Chris Barrett, was reportedly fired for inappropriate behavior with female employees and is now suing both Sony and Bungie. Game director Joe Ziegler, formerly of Valorant, took over the project and has been pushing for major improvements to combat pacing, AI encounters, and loot rewards.
On top of everything else, Bungie has suffered two massive waves of layoffs. In 2023, the studio cut staff for the first time in years. Then in 2024, another brutal round saw 220 developers lose their jobs. The studio has faced serious internal turmoil, and there have been reports that Sony might be considering bringing more of Bungie under direct PlayStation Studios control after initially acquiring the studio for 3.6 billion dollars in 2022.
What The CTT Showed Off
During the Closed Technical Test, Bungie showcased significant improvements since the April 2025 Closed Alpha. The test featured three new maps, five playable Runner classes, a solo queue option, proximity voice chat, and a re-tuned combat system with faster pacing. Environmental storytelling was emphasized throughout, with the cinematic being just one piece of the puzzle.
This cinematic, which expanded from nearly two minutes in the Alpha to just over three minutes in the CTT, represents Bungie’s deeper commitment to selling the universe. They’re not just making a gameplay experience. They’re building a world with history, mystery, and consequences.
When Will Marathon Actually Release
Marathon is now targeting a release window before March 31, 2026, according to Sony CFO Lin Tao. However, Tao was careful to note that this is not a firm commitment. Bungie hasn’t given an exact release date, though Sony has suggested that a specific date announcement could come sometime in fall 2025 or early 2026.
The game will launch simultaneously on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. It’s a free-to-play extraction shooter with a team-based focus, drawing inspiration from games like Escape from Tarkov and Helldivers 2.
FAQs
What is Marathon by Bungie?
Marathon is a free-to-play sci-fi extraction shooter being developed by Bungie. Players take on the role of Runners who are sent to the distant Tau Ceti colony to investigate what went wrong with the original UESC Marathon mission 100 years prior. It’s a team-based multiplayer experience with a focus on strategic combat and environmental storytelling.
When does Marathon release?
Marathon was originally scheduled for September 23, 2025, but has been delayed. Sony has indicated the game should launch sometime before March 31, 2026, but no official release date has been announced yet. Bungie has suggested a specific date might be revealed in fall 2025 or early 2026.
What happened to the leaked cinematic?
A YouTuber named Shaun Weber uploaded a 3-minute intro cinematic from Marathon’s Closed Technical Test on October 23, 2025. Despite Bungie’s strict NDA and DMCA takedown policies, the cinematic remained available online and has been widely shared among gaming communities.
What do Runners do in Marathon?
Runners are the player characters in Marathon. They’re soldiers or operatives sent to Tau Ceti IV to investigate the colony and presumably find out what happened to the original Marathon ship and colony. The game features five different Runner classes with unique abilities and playstyles.
Is Marathon connected to the original Marathon games?
Yes, Bungie’s new Marathon is a spiritual successor to the original Marathon trilogy from the 1990s. The leaked cinematic even includes the iconic line “Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting” which first appeared in the original games. However, this is a complete reimagining rather than a direct sequel.
What platforms will Marathon be on?
Marathon will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. It will be free-to-play with optional cosmetic purchases.
Why was Marathon delayed?
Bungie delayed Marathon from September 2025 to improve core gameplay systems. According to the studio, feedback from testing indicated that combat needed to be more tense and strategic, AI encounters needed to be more challenging and engaging, and loot rewards needed to be more satisfying. The game also faced a plagiarism scandal that may have contributed to the delay.
Conclusion
The leaked Marathon intro cinematic proves that Bungie is putting serious effort into worldbuilding and narrative cohesion. The connection to the original trilogy, combined with the mystery of what happened at Tau Ceti, creates genuine intrigue about the game’s universe. Despite all the turbulence behind the scenes, this 3-minute cinematic demonstrates that Bungie’s vision for Marathon is ambitious and compelling. Whether the full game can deliver on that promise remains to be seen, but at least we know the story foundation is solid. Now we just have to wait until 2026 to actually play it.