During Bungie’s recent Marathon stream, the company showcased early footage of its first-person extraction shooter, stirring quite a bit of skepticism across social media and Reddit. Many viewers were quick to speculate that it might end up like Concord, the hero shooter that Sony pulled offline less than a month after it launched. This prompted a former Concord developer to step into the conversation on the Marathon subreddit, urging everyone to give it a fair shot.
Reflecting on Concord’s journey, the developer—posting under the name MrSpug—shared their feelings openly: “Concord failed to grab players’ interest, and the message was crystal clear,” they wrote. “Watching our project flop and become the butt of jokes online was incredibly tough.”
Having been part of Firewalk Studios before Sony closed it down just a few months after shelving the game, the developer expressed empathy for the Marathon team. They acknowledged the dedication the Bungie developers poured into their game and praised their bravery for venturing into such a fiercely competitive genre.
“I gave Concord everything I had,” they continued. “We fell short, but let’s not penalize others for where we went wrong.”
Although Marathon and Concord belong to different gaming styles, they both carry Sony’s publishing stamp. One major talking point following the Marathon stream was Bungie’s decision against making it free-to-play. Like Concord, Marathon’s price is set to be lower than most new releases, with expectations of it being under a “full-priced” title—likely around $40 when it hits the shelves in September. The prospect of it not being free has sparked concerns about it meeting the same fate as Concord.
In a follow-up comment, the former Concord developer expressed a bit of reluctance but a strong conviction: “I really didn’t want to be that developer who draws attention as if I’m personally invested in this,” they said. “But calling the game a failure before it’s even released feels wildly premature to me.”
