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[Men_in_Boxes]

I know you're being sarcastic but this game will be closed in 6 months or Bungie will have significant layoffs or both and from a once top 3 developer in the world to this that's a crying shame.

You didn't hear the news?

Sony has over 400 Bungie employees on Marathon now. Up from 300.

Game isn't going anywhere.

 

[Guilty_AI]

You didn't hear the news?

Sony has over 400 Bungie employees on Marathon now. Up from 300.

Game isn't going anywhere.

Feels more like a last ditch attempt at saving the game

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Feels more like a last ditch attempt at saving the game

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

 

[wipeout364]

Came to post this. Unfortunately Bungie is a very inefficient studio so I suspect the cost benefit lines are going to be separating very quickly with the cost far above the benefits.

400 people working on this means they are paying one person for every 100 players; If we estimate there are 40,000 active players across Xbox, PC and PlayStation which I think would be generous. Those economics do not make any sense.

Edit: just to clarify if Bungie was a lean tight studio with a 100 people on staff this might work but 400 slow working developers with all the HR, accounting and management bloat that is Bungie gets very expensive.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

### Video Summary: The State of Marathon

This video discusses the ongoing frustration within the Marathon community regarding recent matchmaking updates. Despite Bungie attempting to address player concerns by allegedly reverting skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), prominent content creators and players report that the experience remains unchanged, with long queue times and consistently high-skill lobbies (0:54 - 1:28).

Key takeaways include:
Skill Creep and Population: The game is suffering from a shrinking player base, which compounds the feeling of "sweaty" lobbies as the remaining players are predominantly high-skill veterans (2:33 - 4:05).
Community Discontent: Creators like Frostbolt and Drewuski have expressed significant dissatisfaction, with many feeling that the game is becoming inaccessible for average players (0:21 - 0:38).
The "SteamDB" Phenomenon: The creator notes that Marathon is often trending on SteamDB not because of its high player count, but because of the community's fascination with watching the game's declining statistics (9:27 - 10:43).
Future Outlook: With the game currently at the 50% mark of its first season, there is deep concern regarding the sustainability of the title if these matchmaking and population issues are not resolved (8:12 - 9:26).

### Conclusion

Ultimately, the creator argues that Bungie has failed to effectively address the core issue of player retention through their recent updates. The disconnect between developer communication and the actual in-game experience has left the community disillusioned. Given the current trajectory and the frustration voiced by top creators, the video suggests an "exodus" of players may be imminent unless significant, transparent changes are made to the matchmaking algorithms and the overall gameplay loop (11:28 - 11:46).


I wonder if the increase in devs has to do with making this season shorter, or announcing the game going F2P, and trying to come up with a bunch of skins and whatnot to populate the store.... At this rate I can see something happening in the next 10-14 days.

 

[falconhoof]

Came to post this. Unfortunately Bungie is a very inefficient studio so I suspect the cost benefit lines are going to be separating very quickly with the cost far above the benefits.

400 people working on this means they are paying one person for every 100 players; If we estimate there are 40,000 active players across Xbox, PC and PlayStation which I think would be generous. Those economics do not make any sense.

Edit: just to clarify if Bungie was a lean tight studio with a 100 people on staff this might work but 400 slow working developers with all the HR, accounting and management bloat that is Bungie gets very expensive.

Those numbers are just CCU not DAU, we don't know what the daily active player numbers are.

I just did some rough calculations using CCU and a rough session length value and came up with:

~200K – 230K DAU presuming that players play for about an hour on average (two full matches) or below.

~170k DAU If the game is much more sweaty, meaning that players are playing longer, then that's worse, an average of 1h15m.

The longer the average session the lower the DAU essentially.

 

[Danny22]

To give an idea on weekly trending:

Launch Thursday 88.3k
1st Wed 60.6k
2nd Wed 51.7k
3rd Wed 39.8k
4th Wed 32.8k
5th Wed 25.4k
6th Wed 24.6k (day after patch)
7th Wed 18.4k

So without any bump via patch, In 2 weeks its hitting Destiny 2 numbers if it doesn't bottom out.

 

[Kikorin]

The impressive thing is that here we are posting the 24-hours peak and even being already a dreadful number under 20k, we should consider that the average number is a lot lower than that. This is insane if you consider is Bungie and the game released just few weeks ago.

 

[Hollywood Hitman]

I'd love to see the actual console numbers

 

[calico]

Steam Top 100 revenue, US:


Feb 24 - March 3:
5. Marathon
17. Crimson Desert

March 3 - March 10:
1. StS2
2. Marathon
6. Crimson Desert

March 10 - March 17:
2. StS2
3. Crimson Desert
5. Marathon

March 17 - March 24:
1. Crimson Desert
5. StS2
8. Marathon

March 24 - March 31:
2. Crimson Desert
4. StS2
8. Marathon

March 31 - April 7:
2. Crimson Desert
5. StS2
17. Marathon

 

[cormack12]

I don't say things like this very often, so these words carry a lot of weight...

Marathon is the best PlayStation Studios game ever made, bar none.

 

[falconhoof]

 

[Von Hugh]

 

[cormack12]

Oceania - isnt that a crystal maze zone?

 

[Kronark]

You didn't hear the news?

Sony has over 400 Bungie employees on Marathon now. Up from 300.

Game isn't going anywhere.

Yeah, they're hard at work pivoting the game away from the extraction genre. It also tells me they're prepared to let Destiny 2 die.

 

[Shubh_C63]

The nature of Live Service is constant addition and refinement.

Season 2 > Season 1.

You don't know it yet, but Marathon is going to drive you all to the looney bin.

All the live services games that were able to become better and tripled their CCU took 2-3 years.

You really think Marathon can survive with 8k on season offs and 20k on season ups for 2 years ?

 

[CrustyBritches]

Is Marathon in maintenance? If not, Div2 got 'em.

 

[SnapShot]

#OmegaGenre = #CreativeBankruptcy

It looks like Halo Studios trying to Copy former Halo devs new work

 

[Conflict NZ]

Is Marathon in maintenance? If not, Div2 got 'em.

The prophecy is fulfilled

 

[SmokSmog]

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

You really think Marathon can survive with 8k on season offs and 20k on season ups for 2 years ?

You should observe the Season 2 numbers first.

 

[ValiantInstance]

Numbers are 1k lower than this time yesterday. We're witnessing the death spiral in real time.

 

[Salmorejo]

You should observe the Season 2 numbers first.

Season 2 numbers are going to be shit and you know it.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Season 2 numbers are going to be shit and you know it.

 

[Mengy]

 

[Moridianae]

Yeah, I think this gradually becomes an escalating issue. It is probably why I read(don't recall where) they reduced how many players are needed for one map in an effort to help.

Probably will have that small boost for Cryo ala FFXIV where it moves up then down as people do their "once a week login".

Next week has a major ARC update and Helldivers Warbond(also probably new stuff as they are teasing new Illuminate enemies).

Not looking good as we close out the month.

 

[Fake]

If Marathon closing doesn't change Sony mentality of doing GaaS, nothing will.

 

[ValiantInstance]

Numbers are 1k lower than this time yesterday. We're witnessing the death spiral in real time.

Still hasn't budged... -2k from this time yesterday.

 

[Mengy]

You should observe the Season 2 numbers first.

In order to observe the S2 numbers, S2 needs to release first.

So far we only know this about S2:

• New Map Variant: "Night Marsh," a nighttime, high-threat version of the Dire Marsh map.
• New Runner Shell: Sentinel, a new, tank-based character class.
• The Cradle System: A new system enhancing player control over Runner shell statistical strengths and weaknesses.
• Expanded Arsenal: New weapons, modifications, cores, and contracts.

In my opinion, that doesn't sound like anything major coming to the game for S2. A night time version of an already existing map, a new character, some new skill point stuff, and some new guns and missions. Nothing ground breaking there at all really?

S2 will need more than that to turn the falling knife around, in my opinion.

 

[duck_sauce]

I hate to break it to you, but you come off as very difficult when you talk about Marathon.
Not sure if you are a master troll, or seriously obsessed, but with your current line of communication you wont convince anyone. If anything you make yourself more....im missing the right word....unlikeable?

We all can have different opinions, thats not the problem. We can talk about differences. The tonality is important though.

Goodspeed to you boxes. Hope you get want you want in the end.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

In order to observe the S2 numbers, S2 needs to release first.

So far we only know this about S2:

• New Map Variant: "Night Marsh," a nighttime, high-threat version of the Dire Marsh map.
• New Runner Shell: Sentinel, a new, tank-based character class.
• The Cradle System: A new system enhancing player control over Runner shell statistical strengths and weaknesses.
• Expanded Arsenal: New weapons, modifications, cores, and contracts.

In my opinion, that doesn't sound like anything major coming to the game for S2. A night time version of an already existing map, a new character, some new skill point stuff, and some new guns and missions. Nothing ground breaking there at all really?

S2 will need more than that to turn the falling knife around, in my opinion.

What was added each season when Hunt Showdown and Escape from Tarkov began their rise?

 

[Signalis]

Do you guys think it's at all possible for Marathon to make a comeback like Final Fantasy XIV and No Man's Sky?

 

[Vindicator]

Depends if the overpaid knitting class attendees want to put in some real work.

 

[Roman Empire]

Funny that if asked, any LLM model will say Marathon isn't in a death spiral yet.

I can really visualize this game making a full recovery while Bungie let D2 rot away as well. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sony's Fiscal Year End reports are just in a few days. That's when we get all answers on Marathon.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I hate to break it to you, but you come off as very difficult when you talk about Marathon.
Not sure if you are a master troll, or seriously obsessed, but with your current line of communication you wont convince anyone.

This is a crazy comment. I'm out here defending the Alamo against the siege of 2,000 Mexicans and you're telling me to be peaceful as cannonballs are whizzing past my head?

 

[Moridianae]

Do you guys think it's at all possible for Marathon to make a comeback like Final Fantasy XIV and No Man's Sky?

Not without considerable time and effort put into it.

Highly unlikely that a FFXIV-style resurgence ever happens again in gaming, if I'm honest.

 

[Darchaos]

You dont have to be scared, its just a game and it wont hurt you, dont take it to serious my man.

 

[Mengy]

Do you guys think it's at all possible for Marathon to make a comeback like Final Fantasy XIV and No Man's Sky?

Possible? Certainly. Likely? Doubtful.

Turnarounds like NMS are extremely rare. NMS had the benefit of being a very small indie team with very low costs of development, that enabled them to hunker down and grind out one of the best space games of all time from of a lemon of a launch.

Marathon has a huge dev team with expensive dev costs, plus shareholders to answer to. Shareholders who lack patience and want profits, not good games.

 

[Von Hugh]

I'm out here defending the Alamo against the siege of 2,000 Mexicans and you're telling me to be peaceful as cannonballs are whizzing past my head?

"Delusions of grandeur, or grandiose delusions, are fixed, false beliefs of superior talent, wealth, power, or special identity (e.g., believing oneself to be a deity, famous, or messiah). They are symptoms of underlying mental conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, characterized by an inability to accept reality."

 

[duck_sauce]

This is a crazy comment. I'm out here defending the Alamo against the siege of 2,000 Mexicans and you're telling me to be peaceful as cannonballs are whizzing past my head?

That is my point, my man.
You come of a senselessly defending. Dont. There is no need. Lets just discuss the ccu and what it means. Opinions are free and dont cost a dime.
No need arguing about emotionally.

 

[rm082e]

Do you guys think it's at all possible for Marathon to make a comeback like Final Fantasy XIV and No Man's Sky?

The CEO of PlayStation is a ruthless bean counter. He shut down BluePoint because they weren't expected to make money soon enough to keep investing in them. Bungie is 10x the size of BluePoint, and we can tell with simple math their games aren't making anywhere near enough to keep the company afloat. Any new game they would be working on is years away.

I expect Bungie will be gutted by the end of the summer - probably sooner. By that I mean 600+ layoffs, Marathon and Destiny put into maintenance mode, some people or incubation projects (if they have any left) might get moved to other studios, etc.

It was crazy to watch all these big publishers buy up studios that were very obviously past their prime and on the down-slope. Microsoft did it with Bethesda and Activision, Sony with Bungie, EA with Bioware further back, Embracer with Gearbox. By the time these studios become big established names, the team that built them is either gone, or rolling in enough money that they aren't hungry enough to make another big hit.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

That is my point, my man.
You come of a senselessly defending. Dont. There is no need. Lets just discuss the ccu and what it means. Opinions are free and dont cost a dime.
No need arguing about emotionally.

How about this? You make some cogent talking points about the current CCU trend and I'll jump in if there's meat on the bone. I've ceded Season 1 was disappointing but Sony and I are rallying behind Season 2. Marathon is a bloody battleground that proves there are no angels in war. I've posted some things that I'm ashamed of, but who hasn't? Who among us doesn't have blood on our hands? You do that...

In the meantime, I'll be out here...

 

[Signalis]

Not without considerable time and effort put into it.

Highly unlikely that a FFXIV-style resurgence ever happens again in gaming, if I'm honest.

That sure was something. Never expected Square to actually basically redevelop the game. It was quite the comeback.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

 

[AgatonSax]

You didn't hear the news?

Sony has over 400 Bungie employees on Marathon now. Up from 300.

Game isn't going anywhere.

Sounds like they decided to double down.

This reeks of existential crisis.

 

[calico]

Experience S2 early by playing Dire Marsh while wearing sunglasses

 

[Shubh_C63]

You should observe the Season 2 numbers first.

I will but honestly per their Season 2 plans it is guaranteed to have less average players than launch month.
Unless they got an ace in the hole hidden, slow and gradual improvement won't work if CCU is dead.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I will but honestly per their Season 2 plans it is guaranteed to have less average players than launch month.
Unless they got an ace in the hole hidden, slow and gradual improvement won't work if CCU is dead.

That's not what I'm interested in. I want to see if it's overall player retention trend improves.

If S1 lost 20% of its players base each week, does S2 lose 14% each week?

S2 doesn't have to "save the game" it has to show improvement yields results.

I'm at lvl 108. I love the game, but I also recognize it's doing a lot of (fixable) sh*t wrong.

Sony putting 400 on it is great news.

 

[falconhoof]

Do you guys think it's at all possible for Marathon to make a comeback like Final Fantasy XIV and No Man's Sky?

Speaking on behalf of Bungie here, I'm sure they don't want this to comeback, if coming back means reaching a peak of 88k CCU. I'd more say that this game hasn't even launched. They either need a relaunch or a trip around the back for a swift finisher.