Bungie Clarifies: Marathon Isn't a Fundraiser for Destiny's Future

Bungie's head of product, Josh Deane, has addressed concerns from the Destiny community, clarifying that players don't need to "buy Marathon as a donation" to support the studio's future plans. The clarification came after Deane posted a community message for Destiny fans yesterday, which was part of a lengthy Q&A blog post outlining the unvaulting process for Destiny 2 content promised last month. However, one segment left players confused and concerned about the future of the extraction shooter Marathon and its role in the bigger picture.

The section in question read: "We're not going to forget the mistakes of the past, but it's time to learn from them and unify as one Bungie community. For us, the majority of our Bungie team is legacy Destiny, and we will all tell you that nothing can help bridge us into future more than for Marathon to rapidly evolve and become sustainable. As we head into our December and March updates for Marathon, it's a formative period for all of us here at Bungie that will help determine the shape of our future, so please encourage each other and know that your support gives our team the energy to finish the fight."

The phrase "nothing can help us bridge us into future more than for Marathon to rapidly evolve and become sustainable" particularly riled up the Destiny community. With Destiny 2's recent ups and downs, some believed Bungie was suggesting that purchasing Marathon would help secure the studio's future. Deane stepped in to confirm that this is not the case.

He explained that his intention was not to place the burden of Destiny's revival on fans who had helped breathe life back into it earlier this year. He attributed the confusion to a mistranslation, saying, "and that's on me."

"In no way is the Destiny plan contingent upon Marathon," Deane added. "Play what inspires you, whatever it is. Mainly hoping we can accomplish our goals in both lanes with a stronger relationship with our entire community!"

He further clarified on social media: "I may have worded this clumsily but this is the true heart of what I was trying to say. Truly care about community healing and believe that it will help our studio bridge into the future in the most healthy way possible ❤️ Play and share what you are passionate about, whatever that is. The Destiny plan moves forward no matter what."

When one player expressed fear that they were being encouraged to purchase Marathon without playing it just to support Bungie, Deane responded, "Oh, don't buy Marathon as a donation or offer anything else." He added, "It's our job to show up for you." To another fan with similar concerns, he said, "I truly love the sentiment but only buy or play a thing that inspires you from us / you think is cool! We will find our way back home with Destiny."

So, there you have it: Destiny and Marathon do not depend on each other's success. As Bungie principal comms manager Dylan Gafner put it, "Two cakes! One big community." This should offer relief not only to Destiny players who feared for their favorite game's future but also to Marathon players who shared the same worry.

Negativity has surrounded both games in recent months, with community members on each side clashing as both struggled. For now, we know that the Destiny franchise will live on with a few projects, including "celebration" content updates, a project teased as "Destiny 'Legacy'," and a mysterious "redacted" project.

For Marathon, Bungie will continue to try to revitalize the extraction shooter with Symbiosis this December. The studio also recently reassured players that the extraction component is "still a major part" of the experience as the team experiments with PvE and Deathmatch modes.

What's next for Destiny and Marathon remains to be seen, but it's clear Bungie is putting in the work to keep both afloat. While we wait to see how things pan out, you can see why the studio believes the latter struggled at launch. You can also read about how the Destiny community banded together to help the #SaveMassEffect movement.