Bungie's new season for its extraction shooter, Marathon, has officially launched today, arriving with a new experimental PvE-focused queue, a new Runner Shell, new weapons, a new map redesign, and a major revamp to how progression works. It's also free for anyone to jump in from today until June 9, 2026, and it's on sale across all platforms, and your progress will carry over if you decide to purchase it once the free period ends.
Season 2: Nightfall is Bungie's chance to try and build more momentum for the game, which failed to find its footing during its first season. That said, its launch and initial season did establish a strong critical reception and a dedicated fanbase of players who fell for Marathon's hardcore tendencies.
Now, the next step for Bungie and Marathon is to try and grow the game's community beyond its most dedicated players, particularly since a studio at the size and scale of Bungie can't hope to be sustained by a game with Marathon's middling success.
Particularly when considering that Bungie is now officially leaving Destiny 2 behind, with the final major content update for the game arriving on June 9, 2026. There's also no Destiny 3 in the works, according to recent reports. Bungie is instead pitching new project ideas to PlayStation, to find where it'll go next.
In the meantime, Marathon is Bungie's only active title, and it's the one the whole studio has to put its efforts behind to try and improve the otherwise dire situation the studio finds itself in. Things like the PvE-focused queues Bungie is experimenting with across Season 2, and the progression revamp that Bungie dove into last week, are critical changes Marathon needs to help it grow.
The first of the two major PvE queues Bungie is experimenting with in Season 2 is Sponsored Survival, which pits one squad of three against an increased number of UESC enemies, while also adding solo Rook players partway into a match. The opportunity for PvP is still there with the Rooks, though it's a heavier PvE focus, and there's always the chance that the Rooks can join forces with the one squad to take down the UESC enemies.
The second half of the season will feature an entirely PvE mode that we'll learn more about as we get closer to its arrival, though it'll be interesting to see if the changes included at Season 2's launch have made a significant impact on the game's player base by then.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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