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Marathon, Bungie's much-anticipated project, has made a reappearance with the announcement of a closed technical test scheduled to run later this month.

A Rocky Development Journey

Initially revealed during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, the game has experienced a tumultuous development cycle. Last fall, Bungie announced plans were to begin alpha testing sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in April with a planned September release. However, after some playtests led to negative feedback, the studio revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Though Marathon has already encountered its portion of controversies, Bungie appears committed to make certain Marathon doesn't suffer Concord's fate. Now, it seems the game's development is finally getting back on track, as they just revealed that it has conducted multiple private tests to collect player input on Marathon" since June of this year. The studio is expanding access, allowing additional participants to catch a glimpse of the experience via an upcoming "closed technical test."

Technical Test Details

Considering it's a closed testing phase, it's naturally more exclusive than, for example, an public test. To participate in the technical test — which runs from October 22nd to October 28th — participants must satisfy the listed pre-requisites:

• Apply via the official website
• Live in supported regions
• Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or compatible computer (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and sufficient memory)
• Participate in their community platform
• Sign an NDA via the Discord server

How to Apply

Registration is currently available, and to be considered for the technical test, applicants must complete registration by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. PC users can also submit their application via Steam starting on October 13th, with digital platform registrations due by October 26th. Bungie will contact selected participants and provide details of the next steps.

"This represents a crucial milestone for us as we test our improvements since the game's Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, proximity communication, adjusted gameplay rhythm, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more," Bungie stated. "That said, the Technical Test build is a development build and will only include a selection of what's intended for the game's full release, concentrating on the initial gameplay moments."

Additional Information

More info about the technical test and the game itself can be located on the game's support section. But for players who don't qualify for the test (or cannot participate), there's still good news: The developer says a official announcement on the project's status is the following item on the agenda once the trial concludes.

"There will be a public update on Marathon's development in the near future after the private testing phase!" Bungie shared.