Bungie is set to unveil more details about its eagerly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or April 13, depending on your global location). The excitement kicked off last week when the Destiny developer shared a cryptic tweet featuring a peculiar 15-second video, sparking a flurry of detective work among fans as part of an "extensive alternative reality game."

Astute players discovered that hidden within the ASCII art was "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically capturing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer." Another intriguing clue emerged with the message: "WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER."

Bungie acknowledged the community's dedication, stating, "Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon." The livestream is set for 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) on Saturday, April 12, or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, embracing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will assume the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet's harsh conditions. The game involves exploring a lost colony to scavenge for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.

Since its initial reveal, updates have been sparse. A development update video in October shed some light on Marathon's mechanics, though Bungie emphasized the game's early stage of development. Amidst these updates, Sony's strategic shift away from live-service games has been notable. Following the abrupt cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced in November 2023 that the company would focus on launching just six out of the planned 12 live-service games by March 2026, resulting in the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie has also faced its share of challenges. The company laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—in July 2024, following 100 other layoffs at Bungie less than a year prior. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired after an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie, leading to Barrett subsequently suing Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for more than $200 million.

To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.