Bungie postponed the third season of Marathon and abandoned a strict update schedule for its shooter

The studio closed Destiny to turn Marathon into Destiny.

Bungie is rethinking its approach to Marathon's development and abandoning a rigid seasonal update schedule. The developers explained that they want more freedom to create, test, and refine features before their release. Because of this, a significant portion of the content originally planned for the September update is being moved to December 8.

Instead of a major September update, players will receive an interim update in October: developers will reset progress and the in-game economy, update rewards, and make a number of changes to the existing game.

One of the reasons for this decision was problems with the current progression system. According to Bungie, some players progressed to the endgame too quickly, while others lagged significantly behind.

The Nightfall update will be released on October 6 and should provide all players with a fresh start. Bungie hopes to thus equalize progression and eliminate problems that arose in the previous cycle.

In addition, the PvE mode Vault Breaker will return for a limited time in October. In it, players can explore the Cryo Archive alone or with other participants, going through a series of progressively more difficult vaults. Previously, the mode was already used by Bungie as an experimental PvE experience.

Before the December update, the developers also plan to conduct various "gameplay experiments", testing new ideas directly with players.

The main event will be the Symbiosis update, scheduled for December. It is expected to significantly expand Marathon's capabilities.

In particular, Bungie intends to make PvE a full-fledged permanent part of the game, rather than a temporary experiment. There will also be a new shell, a social space with a shooting range, an experimental Team Deathmatch mode, and a number of other changes.