Bungie explains why Marathon is not a free-to-play game

Sony and Bungie's next big venture, the much-hyped extraction shooter Marathon, will not be free-to-play. This was announced at last weekend's gameplay showcase, where a handful of journalists also had the chance to test the game for a number of hours.

Marathon, which is loosely based on the cult games of the same name from the early 90s, hopes to attract users through its distinctly unique gameplay. This despite a price tag that, according to rumours, will be around $40.

So, why exactly didn't they choose to make the game free-to-play, especially considering the competition in the segment? This is something that Bungie themselves has now tried to explain. In an interview with Skill Up, the game's director, Joe Ziegler, had the following to say:

"We're hoping that what we're showing is exciting enough that someone is going to take the leap with us, but we are also committed to delivering on seasons past this that will continuously offer to evolve the game without an increase to the box price."

Ziegler went on to explain how Bungie intends to make the game really large.

"What we're hoping everyone understands about the game is that we're focused on committing to making this a game that's really awesome, and we think that starting point is really strong at this current time. Everyone's got their own definition of what is the right price."

Whether the game's size is motivation enough to buy, remains to be seen. Marathon will be released this autumn for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam, and then we'll see how well it sells then, or if Sony will have another Concord to contend with.

Do you think Marathon should be free-to-play?