A recent report has revealed that Marathon's budget surpasses $200 million, and despite a notable decline in player counts since its release, Bungie's extraction shooter is not on the brink of an immediate shutdown like Concord. According to Forbes, the budget likely exceeds $250 million, not accounting for ongoing live service expenses or post-launch content development.
Last month, an analyst noted that Marathon hasn't met Sony and Bungie's expectations, with estimated sales of about 1.2 million copies. Alinea Analytics calculated this translates to gross revenues of approximately $55 million across PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.
On Steam, Marathon peaked at 88,337 concurrent players at launch, but this has dropped to a recent 24-hour peak of 25,392. While also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, with player numbers not publicly disclosed by Sony or Microsoft, PC dominates with an estimated 70% of sales, making Steam data a reliable indicator of performance.
Bungie faces pressure to deliver for Sony following recent financial setbacks. In November, Sony reported that Bungie failed to meet sales and user engagement targets, resulting in a 31.5 billion yen (around $204.2 million) impairment charge due to Destiny 2's underperformance, which impacted profits in Sony's Game & Network Services Segment.
Forbes indicates that Bungie developers are actively working on new content, and there's no imminent shutdown threat. However, after incidents like Sony's Concord and Highguard, Marathon's situation feels tense. Sony's next financial results will likely clarify satisfaction with Marathon's commercial performance.
Bungie may have created a game too hardcore for mainstream success, unlike extraction shooter Arc Raiders last year. Marathon is challenging—death results in losing all gear, both looted and brought in, making it brutally punishing. This difficulty and steep learning curve might deter players.
Bungie has emphasized that recovering from losses becomes easier over time, but the recent raid-like Cryo Archive experience intensifies the hardcore gameplay with strict access requirements. Former professional Counter-Strike player Shroud praised Cryo Archive as elaborate but questioned its accessibility for casual players, noting its complexity and grind.
Bungie's next steps are uncertain. While Marathon isn't a Concord-style disaster, increasing sales is crucial. Simplifying the game might alienate current fans, and a free-to-play shift could upset paying players. Options like a single-player or PvE campaign or a traditional PvP mode could reignite interest.
The reported $250 million-plus budget isn't surprising, given AAA game costs in the U.S. and Canada, where developer salaries are higher. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier mentioned such games often exceed $300 million. For context, Concord's initial development was around $200 million, and leaked documents from the Xbox FTC case revealed The Last of Us: Part II and Horizon Forbidden West each cost over $200 million to develop.
