Bungie’s highly anticipated sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon, is not intended to take the place of Destiny. In fact, its director openly acknowledges that players who exclusively enjoy PvE content in Destiny might not find the same appeal in the new title.
In a discussion with GamesRadar+, Joe Ziegler, the game director for Marathon, shared insights about the onboarding process for Destiny players. He noted that there are “some differences” between the two games, along with “some barriers” that the development team can help mitigate. Nonetheless, he candidly stated, “I think there’s other things that maybe we can’t,” remaining realistic about the crossover.
Ziegler elaborated, “Part of it is we don’t expect Marathon to become Destiny 3. Our intention is not to create a new product that replaces Destiny 2. We believe Destiny 2 has a future, and the dedicated team working on it has been striving to comprehend what players need. However, if you enjoy Destiny and are keen on PvP sandbox games, we feel that Marathon could offer an exciting experience for you.”
While Ziegler admits that Destiny players might have “a certain advantage” in Marathon because “our weapon systems tend to be a little bit similar,” he also points out that players will need to adapt to new changes. “There’s just enough change where I think you’re gonna have to relearn some of that curve as well,” he added.
However, this doesn’t imply that every fan of Destiny will automatically appreciate Marathon. “If you are a Destiny player who’s really not interested in any PvP at all, it’s probably not the game for you, because there’s gonna be PvP interactions that occur,” he cautioned. “At some point, someone else who is a player is gonna come across you and shoot you.”
He reinforced this idea later, stating, “I think if you are only looking for PvE experiences, definitely Marathon is not the game for you. […] We are very comfortable saying, yeah, this isn’t a game for everybody. This is a game for: if you like PvP experiences, especially in sandbox spaces, then this is probably something you’re gonna enjoy.”
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