Marathon‘s had a really rough summer, and it doesn’t look like the mood is about to change for Bungie’s remaining live-service sci-fi shooter anytime soon. The studio announced that a September seasonal update has been delayed until December. In fact, the seasonal model is ending altogether. “Addressing that feedback requires us to change both what we’re building and how we deliver it,” the studio said on Monday.
“We previously shared plans for Marathon’s next major update to launch on September 22,” Bungie wrote in a new blog post on September 14. “We know many players were looking forward to it, and we appreciate your patience. We are adjusting our plans to ensure the update meets your expectations.”
The update continued:
The content originally planned for September will now arrive as part of our Symbiosis update on December 8. Alongside the new Runner shell, permanent PvE experience, and refreshed Perimeter zone, the update will also include a social space/firing range, an experimental TDM mode, and improvements to new player onboarding.
Before then, we’ll release a smaller, focused update on October 6 that resets progression and the in-game economy, refreshes rewards, and improves the live game, while giving the team the time needed to deliver the larger experiences planned for December and March.
We’re also moving away from a strict seasonal schedule. Instead of tying major updates to fixed seasonal deadlines, we’re giving the team more flexibility to build, test, and improve features before they are released.
Since launch, you’ve told us Marathon needs more depth, more variety, stronger progression, and better reasons to keep playing over the long term. We agree. Addressing that feedback requires us to change both what we’re building and how we deliver it.
