🔗 Share this article The Developer's Troubled Action Game Marathon Is Making a Comeback Marathon, Bungie's much-anticipated game, has resurfaced with the announcement of a closed technical test scheduled to begin in October. A Challenging Path to Launch First announced during the 2023 gaming showcase, Marathon has undergone a tumultuous creation process. In October 2024, Bungie announced plans were to begin alpha testing sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in spring with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, following initial testing resulted in mixed reactions, Bungie announced in June that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely. Avoiding Past Mistakes Despite the title has already seen its portion of issues, the development team appears determined to ensure their project avoids Concord's fate. Now, it seems the game's development is moving forward again, as Bungie just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to collect player input on the game" since this past summer. The studio is opening the doors a bit wider, enabling more players to get an early look of the experience via an upcoming "closed technical test." Exclusive Testing Information Considering it's a closed technical test, it's understandably limited access than, for example, an public test. To gain access in the exclusive trial — which takes place between Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PDT to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — participants must meet the following pre-requisites: Apply via their platform Live in Europe or North America Own a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, supported graphics card, and sufficient memory) Join their community platform Sign an NDA via the Discord server How to Apply Applications are open now, and to be considered for the private trial, players must submit their application by the October 16th deadline. PC users can also register via Steam starting on October 13th, with Steam applications due by October 26th. The developer will contact selected participants and inform them of the next steps. "This is an important checkpoint for us as we evaluate enhancements since Marathon's Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, individual matchmaking, enhanced narrative elements, and additional features," Bungie stated. "That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a selection of what's intended for Marathon's final version, concentrating on the early player experience." Further Details More info about the technical test and the game itself can be found on the game's help page. But for players who aren't selected for the trial (or cannot participate), there's positive developments: Bungie says a official announcement on the project's status is the following item on the schedule once the trial concludes. "There will be a public update on the game's progress in the near future after the private testing phase!" The studio shared.