Marathon Rejects F2P Claims, Summer Pricing Ahead

Marathon will be a premium game, not a free-to-play title. Continue reading to learn more about the pricing for Marathon and why the developers decided against implementing proximity chat.

Marathon Development Updates

Marathon Will Not Be Free-To-Play

Marathon's director officially confirmed the game will be a premium release, not free-to-play. Bungie, the developer of Marathon, hosted a live gameplay presentation on April 13, where they announced the release date and unveiled a new gameplay trailer. Still, the price point has not been disclosed, and many fans are interested in the game's monetization plans.

During an April 14 episode of the Friends Per Second podcast, Marathon Director Joe Ziegler explained that the game is not free-to-play. He said, "We hope that the excitement of what we're sharing will encourage players to join us. We're also dedicated to delivering ongoing seasonal content that will evolve the game over time, without raising the initial purchase price."

Ziegler expressed confidence in the game's current level of enjoyment and emphasized the team's dedication to making it outstanding. "Everyone has their own idea of what the ideal price should be," he added.

Fans have discussed the possible price range of Marathon on social media, using various sources to make predictions. On April 13, Bungie clarified in a Twitter (X) post that Marathon will not be a full-priced game, but a premium one. More details about pricing are expected to be revealed this summer.

Marathon Will Not Have Proximity Chat

Proximity chat has become a common feature in many multiplayer games recently. It allows players to hear others based on their in-game distance, creating a more interactive and engaging experience. However, playing online means encountering a wide variety of players, and proximity chat can expose users to either friendly conversations or offensive remarks, frequently resulting in a toxic environment.

This concern led Bungie to exclude the proximity chat feature from the game. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Ziegler discussed why the team chose to leave this feature out. He elaborated, "Regarding proximity chat, we are not against the idea itself. The real challenge is ensuring we provide a safe environment for players in that context."

Ziegler explained that the team is focused on maintaining a safe space for players and currently does not have a viable solution to address the toxicity associated with proximity chat. Still, this does remove the opportunity to communicate with enemy teams or negotiate during matches, which could be especially useful in an extraction shooter.

For now, Bungie has not identified an ideal way to manage this feature, so it will remain excluded from the game. "That's our current position. If there were a perfect solution that we could implement, we would certainly consider it. At the moment, it's an issue that many companies are working to solve," Ziegler noted.

Marathon is scheduled to launch on September 23, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For the latest updates on the game, take a look at our article below!