🔗 Share this article The Developer's Challenged Shooter Marathon Shows Signs of Life Marathon, the studio's much-anticipated project, has reared its head again with the news of a exclusive testing phase scheduled to take place soon. A Challenging Path to Launch First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, the game has experienced a bumpy creation process. In October 2024, the developer announced it was aiming to begin alpha testing sometime in 2025. This was followed by quiet months, until the game was showcased again in spring with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, following initial testing resulted in negative feedback, Bungie revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely. Avoiding Past Mistakes Despite Marathon has already encountered its fair share of controversies, Bungie appears determined to make certain their project avoids the same outcome as other games. Now, it appears the game's development is finally getting back on track, as they just disclosed that it has run "several closed playtests to gather feedback on the game" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, allowing more players to catch a glimpse of the game via an forthcoming "closed technical test." Exclusive Testing Information Given the fact that it's a closed testing phase, it's naturally limited access than, say, an open beta. To participate in the technical test — which takes place between Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PDT to October 28th — players must meet the following pre-requisites: Submit an application via their platform Reside in supported regions Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, supported graphics card, and 8GB RAM) Participate in their community platform Complete confidentiality agreement via the Discord server How to Apply Registration is currently available, and to be considered for the technical test, players must submit their application by the October 16th deadline. PC users can also submit their application via Steam starting on Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PDT, with digital platform registrations due by Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. Bungie will notify players who qualify and inform them of the following procedures. "This represents a crucial milestone for us as we evaluate enhancements since the game's Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, individual matchmaking, deeper environmental storytelling, and more," the studio stated. "However, the current version is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what's intended for the game's full release, focused on the initial gameplay moments." Further Details Additional details about the private trial and the game itself can be found on the game's support section. But for individuals who don't qualify for the test (or cannot participate), there's still good news: The developer says a public update on the state of the game is the following item on the agenda once the trial concludes. "We'll be sharing a public update on the game's progress in the coming months after the Closed Technical Test!" The studio shared.