Second time's the charm.

Bungie has announced drastic changes coming to its struggling shooter Marathon, including a shift away from its extraction roots in the coming months. The new mission statement? Making more "approachable" experiences with "different levels of intensity and commitment."

Outlining its short- and long-term vision for "the future of Marathon" in a blog post published last night, Bungie said it wanted to "preserve that thrill" of Marathon's existing extraction mode "for the players who enjoy it, while creating more ways for others to experience the world and find the level of challenge that works for them."

This starts with the Nightfall refresh in October, overhauling the current player experience. It includes a regular and a free permanent NuCaloric rewards pass, recurring sponsored kit queues (matchmaking with free gear rather than your own equipment), and larger windows of access for the end-game Cryo Archive.

In December, Marathon's PvE mode Symbiosis is getting a major push as the team's "first significant step into the future", and a "lower pressure" way for people to play the game. This update also brings an experimental Team Deathmatch mode for those who don't fancy the core extraction gameplay. Additionally, December brings a new shell, a drastically different Perimeter map with new zones, a new PvE pinnacle encounter, and a fungal aesthetic.

However, the major changes come next March. While details are scarce, Bungie has detailed several specific areas it's focusing on, and which it hopes will make a meaningful difference to Marathon's health. These include an interconnected system of permanent PvE, PvP, and PvEvP experiences, a new onboarding experience, a more focused questline and narrative, a new zone, and a new alien enemy.

It's also planning "different levels of intensity and commitment", more options for solo players and crews, "more approachable" ways to enter and learn Marathon, and experiences built towards cooperation, competition, and survival. All in all, it seems like a significant shift away from Marathon's original pitch and core extraction experience.

That core, while impressive to those who could stomach the hardship Marathon offered, proved too daunting for many. And while Marathon got off to a good start, it has continued to see dwindling player numbers on PC. Can Bungie turn things around? I hope so! Despite its flaws and the hurdles faced along the way, Marathon was a bold release with many merits, its striking art style high among them. If Bungie, which is currently also making surprise changes to Destiny 2, can increase its appeal while keeping the extraction option available to the more diehard fans, Marathon might have a rosier future.

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