Bungie's Marathon Playable in December

Bungie's Marathon Community Playtest in December - North America PS5/XSX/PC Event Details

Bungie has announced a Marathon community playtest scheduled for December 12–15, 2025, accessible on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam). Sign-ups are now open on the official website, but are limited to North American players. The playtest will run daily from 2 PM to 8 PM Pacific Time. Leading up to the playtest, Regisseur Alberto Mielgo, responsible for Marathon's visual design, addressed concerns about the use of AI in the game's cinematics. He confirmed that a dedicated team created all material without unauthorized external sources. Marathon, considered one of Bungie’s most ambitious projects since the Destiny series, combines tactical combat with an extraction system, emphasizing long-term team play and strategic planning. While larger testing phases are planned throughout next year, this December playtest will focus on fine-tuning and is subject to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), prohibiting participants from recording, taking screenshots, or sharing any gameplay details. Details were shared on Marathon's official Discord channel.

Marathon's Progress and Competitors Unveiled - ARC Raiders, Escape From Tarkov, More Details Inside

Optimistic leaks from a recent closed test suggest the game is progressing well. Marathon is expected to compete with titles like ARC Raiders and Escape From Tarkov upon release, though a firm release date remains unconfirmed. Bungie anticipates a 2026 release, but has not guaranteed it, suggesting a careful approach to testing and feedback. In other gaming news, Borderlands 4 recently received an update improving class mod drops and Wildcards. A closed alpha test is also upcoming in December for a PUBG shooter spin-off focused on exploration, and a new mod fixes a long-standing lipsync issue in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. There have been no new updates regarding Black Ops 7 or Stellar Blade. European players will have to wait for a later testing phase.

In Case You Missed It

In a wave of exciting news, Players for Life has you covered with three can't-miss articles that are sure to get you hyped! Kicking things off, Jonathan Dubinski explores tantalizing rumors about the potential resurrection of Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe in his recent post, sparking excitement among comic enthusiasts with speculation on the return of fan-favorite actors like Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman – don't miss out on joining the conversation Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck May Return as Superman and Batman. Meanwhile, Carlos Mendoza reports that Paramount is eying a live-action reboot of our beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, aiming to revitalize the franchise by combining CG characters with real actors in 2025 following the successful formula blended in their Sonic films Paramount Aims to Reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Following Sonic's Success. Lastly, gaming fans are in for a treat as Jonathan Dubinski drops some major Tomb Raider bombshells in his latest piece, diving into Crystal Dynamics' recent announcements regarding the beloved franchise – stay ahead of the curve with news on the release of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch platforms and Season 2 of Netflix's The Legend of Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Two Big Surprises Announced for Series Fans and Gamers.