The future of Marathon leans towards failure and already worries Sony

New reports point to the shooter being very far from recovering the huge investment made during its development.

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Just a few years ago, Marathon was poised to become one of Sony’s major bets in the games-as-a-service market, but it seems those initial expectations have not been met. The acquisition of Bungie, the studio’s experience with Destiny, and the financial backing of PlayStation had all the ingredients for a long-term success. However, the current situation appears to be far from those initial expectations.

Recent information from industry sources paints a complicated picture for Bungie’s shooter, to the point where some analysts and insiders are already openly talking about one of the biggest stumbles in Sony’s games-as-a-service strategy.

Marathon’s revenue may not be enough to cover its development costs

According to Tom Henderson, Marathon is still far from generating the revenue needed to recoup its development investment. Although no official figures have been released by Sony or Bungie, various industry reports have long placed the project’s budget above $200 million.

A figure of that magnitude requires a very active player base and consistent revenue to achieve profitability, something that, according to these reports, has not yet happened. In fact, Bungie is already preparing measures to try to revitalize interest in the game, including special promotions and free access periods to attract new users.

The situation has also raised questions about the studio’s immediate future. Henderson went so far as to say that he wouldn’t be surprised to see new internal adjustments if the situation doesn’t improve over the next few months. All this comes at a particularly delicate time for Bungie, which has already had to face various strategic changes and a significant restructuring in recent times.

For now, there is no official communication confirming these more pessimistic scenarios, but it does seem clear that Marathon is at a critical juncture. What happens over the next few seasons could determine not only the game’s future but also the direction of one of Sony’s most significant investments in recent years.