Bungie’s Marathon Launches, But Struggles to Match ARC Raiders on Steam

[cryptohog]

Bungie, the studio behind Destiny and Halo, has officially released its long-awaited extraction shooter Marathon on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. While the game has received mostly positive reviews on Steam—praising its gunplay, aesthetics, and innovative mechanics—it has peaked at just over 86,000 concurrent players on the platform. That figure falls far short of ARC Raiders, Embark Studios’ popular PvPvE shooter, which launched with 264,000 concurrent Steam players and sold over 12 million copies.

Analysts suggest several reasons for Marathon’s lower Steam numbers. The game is more complex and less beginner-friendly than ARC Raiders, which offers a more accessible PvE experience. Additionally, Marathon may be performing better on consoles, where Bungie has a strong fanbase. Some players have also pointed out the shooter’s clunky user interface, though Bungie has promised updates to improve it post-launch. Despite the challenges, Marathon’s "very positive" reviews indicate that dedicated players are enjoying Bungie’s take on the extraction shooter genre, even if it hasn’t yet dethroned ARC Raiders.

[cryptohog]

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