During the Marathon open house week on PS5, an opportunity arose: some users discovered they could purchase the Deluxe Edition of the shooter for just $14 (the base edition costs $40). The reason was a peculiarity of the PlayStation Store, which perceived the purchase as an upgrade to the expanded edition rather than a full acquisition of the game. As a result, players were only asked to pay the difference between the standard and Deluxe versions.
Users quickly noticed the unusual loophole, but Sony soon corrected the situation. The company updated the Marathon page on the PlayStation Store and added an explanation that the reduced-price purchase only grants access to the bonus content of the Deluxe Edition during the open access period for the shooter, but does not include the game itself.
The description now states that after the free week ends, access to the Deluxe Edition content will require a separate purchase of the standard version of Marathon. Sony also clarified that the displayed price refers exclusively to the additional materials of the expanded edition and does not include the price of the base game.
According to Mp1st, the confusion may have arisen because the Deluxe Edition description previously gave the impression that the game itself was included. This is likely what caused the main misunderstanding among users trying to purchase Marathon during the promotion.
The community's reaction was extremely negative. Players criticized Bungie and Sony on social media and Reddit for the situation.