Bungie has taken the decision to delay Marathon, as announced in a blog post on June 17, 2025.
Marathon was originally going to be released on September 23, 2025. Unfortunately, Bungie hasn't revealed a new release date for Marathon, which makes people think its release will probably be scheduled for 2026.
Marathon's gameplay was revealed on April 12, 2025, and it was hit by a mix of feelings. While some viewers enjoyed the game's flow and aesthetic, some others harshly criticized it arguing that, despite the outstanding design being mesmerizing, the game was still too basic or common.
However, it's fair to say Marathon quickly stole the show. Shortly after the Marathon gameplay reveal, Bungie's Discord server for Marathon was flooded with requests to obtain a Closed Alpha code. In fact, at some point, the Discord server broke down.
Unfortunately, as time went by, the hype around Marathon gradually faded away. However, Marathon's death sentence came in May 2025, when a designer claimed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Marathon Closed Alpha included "assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017."
With Bungie being accused of stealing art designs to create Marathon's environments, which are what really makes the game visually unique, the community hit Marathon with backlash. Since then, very little was revealed of Marathon's next steps, until now.
Thank you not only for your passionate feedback around the Marathon reveal and Alpha playtest, but also for your patience while we took the time to listen closely and chart our next steps.
Through every comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord, your voice has been strong and clear. 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. - Bungie's official blog post.
Bungie's statement included information about what the team will aim to improve during the upcoming months. Additionally, the team revealed that more will be revealed "later this Fall" including Marathon's new release date.
For more information about Bungie and Marathon, make sure to stick with us here at Siege.gg, the best site for Rainbow Six Siege coverage and any other major FPS title.