🔗 Share this article The Developer's Challenged Action Game Marathon Shows Signs of Life The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, the studio's highly-anticipated project, has made a reappearance with the announcement of a exclusive testing phase scheduled to take place soon. A Rocky Development Journey Initially revealed during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has undergone a bumpy creation process. Last fall, Bungie stated it was aiming to start Alpha tests during the coming year. This was followed by quiet months, until the project was re-revealed in spring with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, after some playtests resulted in negative feedback, the studio revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely. Avoiding Past Mistakes Despite Marathon has already encountered its portion of issues, the development team appears determined to ensure Marathon avoids Concord's fate. Now, it appears the game's development is moving forward again, as Bungie just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to collect player input on Marathon" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, allowing additional participants to get an early look of the experience via an forthcoming "closed technical test." Exclusive Testing Information Considering it's a private testing phase, it's naturally limited access than, say, an open beta. To participate in the exclusive trial — which runs from Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PDT to October 28th — participants must satisfy the listed requirements: Submit an application via the official website Live in supported regions Have access to a PS5, Xbox console, or compatible computer (system requirements include an compatible CPU, supported graphics card, and 8GB RAM) Participate in their community platform Complete confidentiality agreement via the Discord server How to Apply Applications are open now, and to be eligible for the technical test, applicants must complete registration by the October 16th deadline. PC users can also submit their application via Steam starting on October 13th, with Steam applications due by Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. The developer will notify selected participants and inform them of the next steps. "This represents a crucial milestone for us as we test our improvements since Marathon's Alpha, including three maps, several character options, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, solo queue, enhanced narrative elements, and more," Bungie said. "That said, the current version is a development build and will only include a selection of what's intended for Marathon's full release, focused on the early player experience." Further Details More info about the technical test and the game itself can be found on Marathon's help page. But for individuals who aren't selected for the test (or cannot participate), there's positive developments: Bungie says a public update on the state of the game is the next thing on the schedule once the test is over. "There will be a public update on the game's progress in the coming months after the private testing phase!" The studio shared.