Trouble in Marathon? Bungie Faces Morale Crisis, Marketing Shake-up, and Potential Delay
Bungie, the studio behind iconic games like Halo and Destiny, is facing a storm of challenges surrounding its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. From allegations of art plagiarism to mixed feedback on gameplay and a reported marketing overhaul, the pressure is mounting. Is a delay inevitable?
The controversy began when artist ANTIREAL accused Bungie of plagiarizing her 2017 work, claiming elements of Marathon's aesthetics, which began shaping as early as 2018, were lifted from her creations. Bungie acknowledged the infringement, attributing it to a single former artist and promising amends. However, the story gained traction, casting a shadow over the game's previously praised visuals.
Compounding the issue, the gameplay reveal and Closed Alpha for Marathon were met with lukewarm reception. A subsequent livestream addressing both the art theft and alpha feedback was reportedly tense and uncomfortable, according to industry observers.
According to Forbes some current and former employees have spoken about Bungie's explanation for the art theft, studio morale, the possibility of a delay and some very real changes when it comes to the upcoming presentation and playtesting of the game. The explanation for the art theft, one ex-employee taking things in 2020, is the same one being given internally at Bungie among the rank and file. Sony and Bungie legal are now sorting through this and there is unlikely to be any much new information as all of this continues to unfold.
A crucial detail is that all of this is happening after another not-great time period for Marathon in the last few weeks, starting with the gameplay reveal and then its Closed Alpha, both of which received mostly mixed-to-negative feedback.
Morale is reportedly plummeting within the company, with concerns rising about the studio's future should Marathon underperform. Despite no internal suggestions of a delay of the September release, external signals point to potential postponement.
Adding fuel to the fire, Ggrecon notes that Bungie reportedly cancelled its initial Marathon marketing plan, which included a new trailer and pre-order launch in June, in response to the gameplay footage and alpha feedback. The planned public beta in August might be replaced with a series of public playtests.
Adding to the uncertainty, recent report by Ggrecon stated that Sony has allegedly cancelled all paid marketing campaigns for Marathon. This action, according to Colin Moriarty, signals a significant issue for a game aiming for such prominence.
The situation raises questions about Bungie's future strategy for Marathon. With a marketing campaign seemingly in flux, and a cloud of negative sentiment surrounding recent reveals, the path forward remains uncertain. Is Bungie prepared to overcome these challenges and deliver a successful launch?
What are your thoughts on the situation? Share your predictions and concerns in the comments below.
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