New Marathon footage has flipped the conversation almost overnight. What was once an extraction shooter struggling to win people over is now being talked about as something completely different, with many fans saying it looks like a whole new game.

That reaction matters because Marathon has had a rough road so far. It was originally set to launch on 23 September 2025, but early alpha tests failed to impress, and player sentiment turned sour. Things spiralled further when artist Fern “Antireal” Hook accused Bungie of using plagiarized artwork, a controversy that hit the game’s image hard. Not long after, the studio pushed the project into an indefinite delay.

Now, that delay is finally paying off.

Marathon’s visual overhaul changes the conversation

In a new post on X, Bungie shared a before-and-after comparison showing major upgrades to global illumination and environmental density. The difference is obvious. The world looks richer, darker, and far more confident in its identity. More importantly, it looks closer to what players expected in the first place.

At the time of writing, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s clear Bungie didn’t just use the extra time to fix visuals, but to rebuild trust. With a new launch window set for March 2026, Marathon is suddenly back in the race, and now, people are actually watching again.

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