Bungie finally reveals Marathon release date and opens pre-orders
Escape is just six weeks away
Marathon, Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter that has survived all manner of controversy, is finally coming out this March. That much has been known since the game re-emerged last year, before the holidays. But on Monday, Bungie released a new pre-order trailer that revealed the game's actual release date: March 5.
That's pretty damn soon, if you're reading this the day of the announcement, and even damn sooner if you're reading after. About six weeks from this announcement, anyone will be able to go play the long-rumored, then long-hated, then long-mocked, and now, perhaps, short-hoped extraction shooter.
The trailer itself is a really moody/spooky walk through the game's world, with far less focus on combat than would be expected for a game about PvP. We also, of course, get a great shot of the classic Marathon Compiler to end things.
In addition to launching pre-orders, Bungie also unveiled the game's Collectors Edition, which is $170 for a version that doesn't include a code for the game, and $230 for one that does. It comes with a massive statue of the Runner Thief, as well as some other goodies. Bungie also showcased it in its own trailer on Monday, which you can see above.
After such a strange year for Marathon, it'll be pretty interesting to see how the game sells at launch. And after the recent success with Arc Raiders, it'll be even more interesting to see where Marathon's word of mouth – assuming there is any – will carry it.
If you're looking for any additional Marathon analysis as we head into the game's launch, you should check out my podcast with Destiny YouTuber Skarrow9 and Marathon lore master JakeTheAlright: Escape Will Make Me Pod.
