Marathon has found itself in a difficult situation in recent weeks, the game has been the subject of heated debate due to allegations of plagiarism and unethical behavior, after it was revealed that the art team used “stolen textures” in the version available to players.
It was recently revealed that Marathon has cancelled all planned paid marketing campaigns, hinting at a possible major delay or even the complete cancellation of the project. The game was originally scheduled to release on September 23, but this setback has derailed all the hype surrounding it.
An Unusual SolutionIn the latest episode of the Sacred Symbols podcast, Colin Moriarty, a former IGN employee, shared:
"One source familiar with the marketing plans in one of the key overseas markets told me that paid marketing for Marathon is now completely off the table. It's unclear whether this is due to recent events, whether this was the original plan, or for other reasons. But for a game of this scale, it's a highly unusual move."
Bungie likely won't be able to release the game on September 23, given the growing negativity surrounding Marathon. This is the fourth time Bungie has been accused of plagiarism, and promoting a looter shooter game has already been difficult.