Marathon Developer Urges: Concord’s Setback Shouldn’t Discourage You

During the recent Marathon stream, Bungie unveiled some early footage of their upcoming first-person extraction shooter, but not everyone was impressed. Social media, including Reddit, lit up with skeptics who compared it to Concord, a hero shooter that Sony pulled the plug on less than a month after launch. This prompted a former developer from the Concord team to jump into the Marathon subreddit, urging the community to give the new game a fair shot.

Reflecting on Concord’s downfall, the developer, posting under the Reddit username MrSpug, wrote, “Concord didn’t quite resonate with players, and believe me, the feedback was clear.” They described the experience as heart-wrenching, seeing their hard work become the punchline of online gaming communities.

Having previously been with Firewalk Studios before Sony closed it down, the developer expressed empathy for the Bungie team, acknowledging the immense effort poured into Marathon. They applauded Bungie for daring to venture into such a fiercely competitive genre. “I poured my heart into Concord and gave it my all,” they shared. “Now, let’s not let our shortcomings unfairly impact others.”

Even though Concord and Marathon are distinct in nature, they share one common element: both are published by Sony. A notable point of contention from the Marathon reveal was Bungie’s decision not to offer it as a free-to-play title. Much like Concord, Marathon is set to be priced more affordably than most new releases, expected to be around $40 when it launches in September. This pricing strategy has sparked concerns about whether it might face Concord’s unfortunate fate.

In response to these concerns, the former Concord developer admitted, “I hesitated to step into the fray, risking the perception that I had something to gain or lose here. But labeling a game a flop before it even hits the market? That’s a bit much for me.” Let’s hope the gaming community keeps an open mind and waits to see what Marathon truly brings to the table.