e game that was supposed to be their big comeback and "return to form" in the wake of the increasingly unpopular Destiny 2. But as most of you who have been following the news here at Gamereactor over the past few months know, basically everything has gone wrong with the development. From stolen artwork to executives fleeing the field and a beta test that had major problems attracting players.
There has been speculation online about whether the game would be "dead on arrival," not unlike the Concord fiasco. Especially since it had previously been announced that Marathon would cost money, and unlike many of the giants of the genre, it would not be possible to just jump in without opening your wallet. A fact that many believe is tantamount to declaring the game dead.
But hope lives on, and after Sony announced that Marathon would be delayed, Bungie has been working hard—in relative silence—to try to steer the leaking ship. And although we still don't know exactly when Marathon will be released, information has now leaked about how much the different versions of the game will cost. This could also be a hint that the release may be closer than we think - probably early next year.
according to reports, the standard edition will cost 40 bucks, and if you want to splurge on the deluxe version, you'll have to cough up nearly 60 bucks. The latter will include some extra goodies, including a ship from Destiny, skins, and some gadgets to use in the game. In addition, a handful of so-called season pass tokens will also be included in the deluxe version - worth approximately $30. What exactly these will be used for, however, is another matter.
The leak also reveals that Bungie is planning a season pass that focuses entirely on skins and other visual upgrades, i.e., nothing that will give you an advantage in the game, but which will allow you to stand out a little more from the crowd. This season pass will, according to the leaker, cost around 10 dollars and the person also claims that Marathon will feature 28 guns in total on launch. Ranging from automatic carbines to machine guns, shotguns, and more.
As always, take this with a grain of salt, but the 40 dollar price tag for Marathon is entirely in line with previous speculation. The big question is whether many people will be willing to pay for the game when there are so many well-established free alternatives in the same genre. Next up is a closed technical beta for Marathon, which will run from October 22 to 27 and hopefully provide Bungie with some useful feedback.
What are your thoughts on the pricing. Is 40 dollars just too much, and are you planning on getting the game?
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