According to the studio, this is not only a chance for fans, but also a way to test the server infrastructure and eliminate remaining errors before launch. Bungie has taken into account community feedback, reworking key elements of gameplay and communication, which has clearly increased player interest.
The effect was immediate: in the first few minutes, more than 50,000 players appeared on Steam servers, after an hour the number exceeded 100,000, and eventually more than 143,000 people played simultaneously on the Valve platform. This is an impressive figure, confirming that Marathon is attracting the attention of a wide audience. Now the question remains whether the game will become Bungie's new flagship or just a temporary surge of interest.