In
a
rather
unsurprising
announcement,

Bungie
has
delayed
the
release
of

Marathon
indefinitely
so
that
the
team
can
work
on
addressing
fan
feedback.
Several
reasons
are
cited
for
the
delay,
but
conspicuously,
the
recent
plagiarism
debacle
was
not
mentioned,
despite
it
most
likely
being
one
of,
if
not

the,
single
biggest
reason
for
the
delay.

“Through
every
comment
and
real-time
conversation
on
social
media
and
Discord,
your
voice
has
been
strong
and
clear,”

reads
a
short
blog
post
on
the
Bungie
website.
“We’ve
taken this to
heart,
and
we
know
we
need
more
time
to
craft Marathon into
the
game
that
truly
reflects
your
passion. After
much
discussion
within
our
Dev
team, we’ve
made
the
decision
to
delay
the
September
23rd
release.”

The
blog
post
cites
the
recent
alpha
as
a
major
reason
for
the
decision.
Player
reactions
were
very
mixed.

“The
Alpha
test
created
an
opportunity
for
us
to
calibrate
and
focus
the
game
on
what
will
make
it
uniquely
compelling—survival
under
pressure,
mystery
and
lore
around
every
corner,
raid-like
endgame
challenges,
and
Bungie’s
genre-defining
FPS
combat.”

The
blog
post
also
highlights
want
the
team
wants
to
add
into
the
game
following
the
feedback:

• “Upping
  the
  Survival
  Game
  • More
    challenging
    and
    engaging
    AI
    encounters
  • More
    rewarding
    runs,
    with
    new
    types
    of
    loot
    and
    dynamic
    events
  • Making
    combat
    more
    tense
    and
    strategic

• Doubling
  down
  on
  the
  Marathon
  Universe
  • Increased
    visual
    fidelity
  • More
    narrative
    and
    environmental
    storytelling
    to
    discover
    and
    interact
    with
  • A
    darker
    tone
    that
    delivers
    on
    the
    themes
    of
    the
    original
    trilogy

• Adding
  more
  social
  experiences
  • A
    better
    player
    experience
    for
    solo/duos
  • Prox
    chat,
    so
    social
    stories
    can
    come
    to
    life”

Notably
absent
from
the
statement
was
the
recent
stolen
artwork
disaster.
Scottish
artist
Fern
“Antireal”
Hook
accused
Bungie
of
lifting
designs
from
her
2017
posters
and
using
them
in
Marathon,
complete
with
her
logo
and
stylistic
motifs
evident
in
textures
and
UI.
Bungie
has
acknowledged
the
misstep,
attributing
it
to
a
former
in‑house
artist
who
slipped
unauthorized
art
into
a
texture
sheet,
and
says
the
current
team
was
unaware.
The
developer
has
pledged
to
scrub
the
build,
tighten
internal
checks,
and
reach
out
to
Hook—and
vowed
to
“do
right
by
the
artist”
.
But
this
marks
at
least
the
fourth
time
in
recent
years
that
Bungie
has
faced
similar
accusations,
sparking
concerns
that
these
aren’t
isolated
oversights
but
symptoms
of
systemic
issues.

This
plagiarism
is
a
major
issue
for
the
development
of
the
game
because
the
team
will
need
to
rake
through
every
single
piece
of
art,
every
texture
and
every
little
crevice
of
the
game
to
ensure
there’s
no
other
stolen
artwork.
That’s
not
small
task.
Then
there’s
the
possibility
that
the
team
may
decide
to
rework
the
game’s
art
style,
because
even
though
Marathon’s
artistic
style
can
be
traced
deep
into
Bungie’s
history,
it
also
shares
an
aesthetic
with
Antireal
and
both
Bungie
and
Sony
might
want
to
try
to
differentiate
them.

A
report
written
by
Paul
Tassi
of
Forbes
shortly
after
the
plagiarism
scandal
detailed
how
Bungie’s
morale
was
in
freefall.
Interestingly,
the
same
report
said
that
there
was
no
plans
to
delay
the
game
at
the
time,
even
while
the
team
was
worried
about
launching
Marathon
into
a
“now
actively
hostile
environment.”

This
whole
thing
has
to
be
worrying
for
both
Sony
and
Bungie.
Sony
spent
a
lot
of
money
to
acquire
Bungie,
with
a
lot
of
emphasis
placed
on
Bungie’s
live-service
success
in
the
form
of
Destiny
2.
But
Sony’s
live-service
push
hasn’t
been
going
well,
with
only
Helldivers
2
actually
being
a
success.
Most
of
their
other
live
service
projects
have
been
cancelled,
and
Concord
was
nothing
short
of
a
dumpster
fire.
While
Marathon
will
at
least
stand
a
better
chance
than
Concord
based
purely
on
Bungie’s
name
still
carrying
some
weight,
insider
reports
suggest
Bungie
is
worried
the
game
will
flop.
The
initial
reception
to
its
announcement
was
tepid,
the
recent
beta
saw
player
numbers
decline
quickly
and
the
plagiarism
scandal
resulted
in
another
blow
to
Bungie’s
already
tattered
reputation.

“You’ll
hear
from
us
again
later
this
Fall
when
we
can
share
the
progress
we’ve
made,
alongside
the
game’s
new
release
date. Thank
you
again
for
your
patience
and—
much
more
importantly—
your
passion.
Your
continued
feedback
will
help
us
make Marathon the incredible
gaming
experience
we
all
know
it
can
be,”
says
Bungie.