Marathon will not be a free-to-play game but will be a premium title. Read on to learn more about Marathon’s pricing and why the developers opted not to include proximity chat.
Marathon Development Updates
Marathon Will Not Be Free-To-Play
Marathon Director confirmed that the game will not be free-to-play, but will be a premium title. Bungie, Marathon’s developer, held a live gameplay showcase on April 13 where they announced the game’s release date and showed a new gameplay trailer. However, the developers have yet to reveal the game’s price, and fans are curious about how they will monetize it.
In an episode of Friends Per Second podcast on April 14, Marathon Director Joe Ziegler explained that the game is not a free-to-play title. He stated, "We’re hoping that what we’re showing is exciting enough that someone is going to take the leap with us, but we are also committed to delivering on seasons past this that will continuously offer to evolve the game without an increase to the box price"
Ziegler is confident in the game’s current status in terms of enjoyability and that the team is committed to making it awesome. "Everyone’s got their own definition of what is the right price." he said.
Fans have speculated on the price range of Marathon based on different sources, and have taken to social media to share their predictions. However, Bungie clarified on a Twitter (X) post on April 13 that Marathon will not be a full-priced title but a premium one. They will also announce more details regarding its pricing this summer.
Marathon Will Not Have Proximity Chat
Proximity chat has been a recurring feature for most multiplayer games in recent years. Players can hear others depending on how close they are to them, offering a more interactive and immersive experience to the game. However, going online means having a mixed bag of people joining the game. With proximity chat, players hear either friendly or distasteful remarks, which often leads to toxicity in the game.
This reason was enough for Bungie to not include the proximity chat feature in the game. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Ziegler mentioned why the team decided to drop this feature altogether. He elaborated, "When it comes to prox chat, I don't think we're against the experience of it, to be fair. I think the challenge is how to make sure we're creating a safe environment for players inside of that space."
Ziegler said that the team is dedicated to creating a safe space for players and currently does not have any solution with regard to the toxicity that proximity chat brings. However, this does diminish the opportunity to interact with opposing teams and negotiate your way through a map, especially for an extraction shooter.
Regardless, Bungie has yet to find the perfect solution for this feature, so it will stay out of the game at least for the time being. "I think that's where we stand right now. Like, if it was magical and we could somehow come up with that solution, I think we totally would do it. But right now, it is a challenge that many companies are trying to figure out," Ziegler stated.
Marathon is set to be released on September 23, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Source:
Marathon game director explains why it won't be free-2-play | Friends Per Second Ep #67
Marathon Twitter (X) post on Being A Premium Title
Marathon won't have proximity chat because it'd be way too toxic
