Marathon Season 2 was supposed to be a major reset moment for Bungie’s extraction shooter. After months of mixed reception, player count debates, and constant comparisons to Destiny 2, Bungie gave players a full free week to jump in and try the game alongside the launch of its biggest seasonal update so far.
But according to Forbes writer Paul Tassi, the free week did not appear to turn things around in any meaningful way. While Season 2 brought new content, a fresh start, progression changes, and a wider push to bring players back, the numbers suggest Marathon still has a long way to go before it can be considered the comeback Bungie needs.
Marathon Season 2 Was Supposed to Be Bungie’s Big Second Chance
Bungie clearly wanted Season 2 to feel like more than just another update. The studio opened the game up through Marathon Open Play Week, giving players access to the full experience from June 2 to June 9 across Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Season 2 also came with new content and quality-of-life improvements. Bungie introduced the Night Marsh version of Dire Marsh, the new Sentinel shell, more progression control through the Cradle system, new weapons, faction progression changes, a bigger Vault, contract improvements, and various UI and technical updates.
Paul Tassi Says the Free Week Did Not Move the Needle Enough
In his Forbes piece, Paul Tassi argued that Marathon’s Season 2 launch and free week did not meaningfully change the game’s trajectory. That does not mean nobody played it, and it does not mean Season 2 had no positive changes. It means the boost was not strong enough to suggest Bungie had suddenly solved Marathon’s biggest problem.
That problem is momentum. Marathon launched into a crowded market, and unlike Destiny, it does not have years of emotional investment carrying it through rough patches.
SteamDB data also paints a difficult picture. Marathon’s all-time peak on Steam sits at 88,337 concurrent players, but its current numbers are far lower. Steam is only one platform, so it does not tell the full story across PlayStation and Xbox. Still, for a premium live-service shooter trying to rebuild confidence, the Steam trend is hard to ignore.
The Destiny 2 Comparison Is Still Hurting Marathon
Marathon’s biggest problem may not even be Marathon itself. It is the shadow of Destiny 2.
A large section of Bungie’s fanbase still sees Marathon as the game that received investment while Destiny 2 was heading toward its final live-service chapter. Whether that view is fully fair or not, it has become part of the conversation around Bungie’s future. Many Destiny players are frustrated, and that frustration has spilled directly into Marathon.
Marathon Season 2 Had Good Ideas, But Good Ideas May Not Be Enough
To Bungie’s credit, Season 2 does include changes that directly address early criticism. The fresh reset gave everyone a clean start. The expanded Vault and improved UI helped reduce friction. The Cradle system offered more control over progression. Night Marsh gave players a darker, more tense version of an existing zone, while Sentinel added more variety to team compositions.
These are meaningful updates. They show that Bungie is listening and trying to improve the core experience.
But live-service games need more than a list of improvements. They need energy. They need players to talk positively. They need returning users, new users, and a reason for people to keep logging in after the free period ends. That is where Marathon still appears to be struggling.
A free week can create a spike, but it cannot fix a weak retention problem by itself.
Bungie Needs Marathon to Work, But Players Are Not Convinced Yet
The pressure on Marathon is bigger than one seasonal update. Bungie needs the game to prove it can stand as the studio’s next major pillar after Destiny 2. That is why Season 2 mattered so much.
So far, that conversation still seems mixed at best. Some players believe Marathon has a strong foundation and deserves time to grow. Others feel Bungie missed the moment, especially with extraction shooters already being a niche and competitive space. Then there are Destiny fans who may never give the game a fair chance because they associate it with Destiny 2’s decline.
Marathon’s Comeback Is Still Possible, But Season 2 Was Not It
Marathon is not dead, and Season 2 is not worthless. Bungie can still improve the game, expand its audience, and build a dedicated community over time. Plenty of live-service games have recovered from rough starts.
But if Paul Tassi’s assessment is right, Season 2 and the free week were not the dramatic turnaround Bungie needed. The update may have helped the game feel better for existing players, but it did not appear to create the kind of major player surge that would silence doubts about Marathon’s future.
