🔗 Share this article Bungie's Troubled Shooter Marathon Is Making a Comeback The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Bungie's highly-anticipated project, has resurfaced with the announcement of a closed technical test set to begin in October. A Rocky Development Journey First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has experienced a tumultuous development cycle. In October 2024, Bungie stated plans were to start Alpha tests during the coming year. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in April with a planned September release. However, after some playtests resulted in mixed reactions, the studio revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely. Steering Clear of Controversy Though the title has already encountered its fair share of controversies, the development team appears committed to make certain their project avoids the same outcome as other games. Currently, it seems the game's development is moving forward again, as they just disclosed that it has run "several closed playtests to gather feedback on Marathon" since this past summer. The studio is opening the doors a bit wider, enabling additional participants to get an early look of the game via an forthcoming "closed technical test." Technical Test Details Considering it's a private technical test, it's understandably more exclusive than, for example, an open beta. To participate in the exclusive trial — which takes place between October 22nd to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — players must meet the listed pre-requisites: Submit an application via their platform Live in supported regions Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an compatible CPU, supported graphics card, and sufficient memory) Participate in the official Discord server Sign an NDA via the Discord server How to Apply Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the technical test, players must submit their application by the October 16th deadline. Players on Windows PC can also submit their application via Steam starting on Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PDT, with digital platform registrations due by October 26th. The developer will notify players who qualify and provide details of the following procedures. "This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Marathon's Alpha, including multiple locations, several character options, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, individual matchmaking, deeper environmental storytelling, and more," Bungie stated. "That said, the Technical Test build is a development build and will only include a portion of what's intended for Marathon's final version, focused on the early player experience." Further Details Additional details about the private trial and the actual experience can be found on Marathon's support section. But for players who don't qualify for the test (or cannot participate), there's positive developments: Bungie says a public update on the state of the game is the next thing on the agenda once the trial concludes. "We'll be sharing a comprehensive report on Marathon's development in the near future after the private testing phase!" Bungie shared.