Marathon delayed: Bungie tweaking survival, adding proximity chat and new darker themes

Marathon has been delayed to an unspecified period so that Bungie can make big changes.

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Today, Bungie announced that Marathon has been pushed back and will no longer release on September 23.

The studio is taking this extra time to make some major adjustments to the extraction shooter, including the addition of proximity chat, more emphasis on survival gameplay, dynamic environmental storytelling, and what sounds like a new visual overhaul that will add a darker tone with grittier themes straight out of the original Marathon trilogy.

"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," Bungie wrote in the update.

Bungie will focus on these things with the new Marathon testing:

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

The news comes at a time when morale at Bungie hit an all-time low, driven by layoffs and controversies like Bungie's most recent stolen art fiasco in Marathon.

Just recently, PlayStation studios boss Hermen Hulst said that Marathon was undergoing constant testing across multiple phases.

"The constant testing, the constant re-validation of assumptions that we just talked about, to me is just so valuable to iterate and constantly improve the title so when launch comes, we're going to give the title the optimal chance of success," Hulst said.