The gaming community has been buzzing ever since Bungie hosted its recent Marathon stream, unveiling early footage of its upcoming first-person extraction shooter. The preview drew a mixed reaction across social media platforms and Reddit, with critics predicting it might face a fate similar to Concord, another title by Sony that was pulled offline shortly after its launch. Stepping into the conversation, a former developer of Concord took to the Marathon subreddit to urge fans to give the game a fair chance.
“Concord didn’t quite capture the players’ hearts, and we heard the feedback loud and clear,” expressed the developer, known online as MrSpug. “Witnessing our project fall and become the butt of online jokes was truly disheartening.”
This developer, who previously worked at Firewalk Studios before it was closed by Sony post-Concord, shared their empathy towards the Bungie team, acknowledging the intense effort that goes into creating a game like Marathon. They also praised Bungie’s boldness in entering such a fiercely competitive gaming genre.
Reflecting on their experience with Concord, they added, “I gave my all to Concord, and while we didn’t succeed, I urge you not to let our shortcomings color your perception of others’ work.”
Despite Marathon and Concord being different in nature, both share the same publisher: Sony. One major point of contention following the Marathon stream was Bungie’s choice to avoid a free-to-play model. Marathon, like Concord, will be more affordable than the typical new releases on the market. Bungie has hinted at a price point below a “full-priced” game, potentially around $40, when it debuts in September. This decision has sparked speculation about whether it might meet the same fate as Concord.
“I didn’t want to come across as a developer trying to steal the spotlight,” the former Concord developer elaborated in a follow-up comment. “But deeming a game a failure before it even hits the shelves seems a bit premature to me.”
