During Bungie’s recent live stream showcasing some early glimpses of their upcoming first-person extraction shooter, Marathon, a wave of skepticism washed over social media and Reddit communities. Some folks are anticipating it might go the way of Concord, the much-hyped hero shooter that Sony pulled the plug on just weeks after its launch. Amid the online chatter, a former Concord developer popped into the Marathon subreddit, urging folks to keep an open mind.
“Concord just didn’t hit the mark with players, and trust me, the message landed with a thud,” shared the developer, who goes by MrSpug on Reddit. “Watching something you’ve poured your heart into crash and burn isn’t easy, and seeing the relentless jokes online was a tough pill to swallow.”
Having been part of Firewalk Studios before Sony decided to shelve the project a few months post-launch, MrSpug expressed genuine empathy for the Marathon team. They acknowledged the immense effort Bungie’s team put in, diving headfirst into a fiercely competitive gaming genre.
“With Concord, we gave it our all,” they reflected. “While we didn’t make it, I hope others aren’t judged for the missteps we made.”
Even though Concord and Marathon are distinctly different, both share the same publisher, Sony. Following the stream, many voiced concerns about Bungie’s choice to avoid the free-to-play model. Similar to Concord, Marathon won’t come with the usual high price tag of recent releases. Bungie has mentioned that this title will be priced below a typical “full-priced” game, possibly hovering around $40 when it drops in September. This pricing strategy, though, has sparked debates on whether it might face Concord’s fate.
“In truth, I never intended to be seen as the developer drawing attention to this,” MrSpug added in a follow-up comment. “Declaring this game a flop before anyone’s even picked up a controller seems a bit premature.”
