🔗 Share this article

Marathon, the studio's highly-anticipated project, has reared its head again with the news of a exclusive testing phase set to take place soon.

A Challenging Path to Launch

First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, the game has experienced a tumultuous creation process. Last fall, the developer announced plans were to start Alpha tests sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in spring with a planned September release. However, following initial testing led to negative feedback, Bungie announced in June that it was postponing the game's launch.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Despite the title has already seen its portion of controversies, Bungie appears determined to ensure their project doesn't suffer the same outcome as other games. Now, it appears the project's progress is finally getting back on track, as they just disclosed that it has conducted multiple private tests to collect player input on Marathon" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, allowing additional participants to get an early look of the game via an forthcoming "closed technical test."

Exclusive Testing Information

Considering it's a private technical test, it's understandably more exclusive than, say, an open beta. To participate in the technical test — which runs from Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PDT to October 28th — participants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Apply via their platform
• Reside in supported regions
• Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and 8GB RAM)
• Participate in the official Discord server
• Sign an NDA via the online community

How to Apply

Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the technical test, applicants must submit their application by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. Players on Windows PC can also register via Steam starting on October 13th, with Steam applications due by October 26th. Bungie will notify selected participants and inform them of the following procedures.

"This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Marathon's Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, enhanced narrative elements, and more," the studio stated. "However, the Technical Test build is a development build and will only include a portion of what's intended for the game's full release, focused on the early player experience."

Additional Information

Additional details about the technical test and the actual experience can be located on Marathon's support section. But for individuals who aren't selected for the trial (or don't have time), there's still good news: Bungie says a public update on the state of the game is the following item on the agenda once the test is over.

"There will be a public update on Marathon's development in the coming months after the private testing phase!" Bungie shared.