Overall it looks like the re - reveal of Marathon is being met with some positive sentiment.

An open beta the week before its release is going to be pivotal. Arc Raiders opening up the market for extraction shooters should also benefit Marathon when it launches.

I wouldn't make comparison to Concord which had a lot less going for it. The closed beta for this had 80k players, there's clearly an audience eager to try it and see what becomes of it, which is not the same for Concord. It helps that its not exclusive (less online negativity) and that there isn't much culture war debates making it a target of even more negativity. Ultimately though it's not really my genre so I won't speak much on its potential

Yeah, the big difference, aside from genre, is that Concord came from a new and unproven studio. Marathon, on the other hand, even if reception is lukewarm at best, has the Bungie name is behind it. It's a company name that still carries a certain amount of weight.

I played the game yesterday before this, I'm assuming, final closed beta, and I can only say it is substantially better than the last beta. However, is the game better than Arc Raiders? Currently, no. Not by a long shot.

It will really depend on how much worthy content is available at launch and if there's any hidden aces up Bungie's sleeve that they're holding close to the chest for now.

Another big thing Marathon has going for it unlike Concord is that for the most part, the hero shooter genre had grown cold by the time the game released. Other than Marvel Rivals. The extraction shooter genre on the other hand is currently gaining major momentum.

Oh good more characters coming. Figured that was the case anyway, but was surprised there wasn't any character teases over the past couple of months or even at TGA.

I actually think the last Marathon video was good, the maps 4 and specially 2 with the open marsh and somber feel look good. The corpses decomposing and this being a hint of how long the player died there sound clever. Making floors levels have different materials so you can know which floor the enemy is into by listening to it is cool.

But I went to the recent posts in social media and... exactly like I expected, it was basically only people rooting for it to fail and bringing Concord up.

Concord is not their fault, but it's a reality they will have to deal with, so a $40 day one price... yeah, mostly only people already into Bungie and following it should be comfortable to spend this when "Sony multiplayer" pretty much brings at least some concern.

It puzzles me they still haven't announced more, I mean, it has 8 chars since the first announcement, of course they'll have more lol.

I wonder if they read my feedback already... loved the beta.

Concord's failure was very largely rooted in poor marketing.

The initial teaser gave very little hint into the games identity. Even though it was announced as an online game, Sony choosing to follow up the teaser with a cinematic that looked more akin to something like Uncharted very much blew up in their face, because most ppl forgot that Concord was going to be an online game.

Marathon is in a much healthier position. 

Being in a better position than Concord doesn't mean being in a good position, tho.

Again, I think they stepped up on how to show Marathon with the last video, it was actually pretty decent and had a good feeling.

The social aspects of the game advertising being tied to Concord or a Sony Multiplayer = fail, even as it makes no sense, is a reality they have to account for.

I won't post prints from reaction on social media so I don't have to blur people faces just to post a pic, but you can go see it for yourself on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Tiktok from both the US and EU if you wish.

Marathon does have the Bungie name, and brand recognition and/or studio quality is always a big first step, but it also is dealing with more than just being possibly a good game or not as a reason to succeed or fail.

Based in open positions it looks like Sony is getting ready to test (potentially) 3 different games in their San Diego office.

The first vacant is for "Game test analyst", the description is very vague so it could actually be any game.
The second vacant is for "Open World game test analyst", the description says the game is open world, has rpg elements, third person combat, puzzles and challenging gameplay.
The third vacant is for "MOBA game test analyst" and the description basically confirms all the rumors about LFG's game. "Loves PvP games, plays MOBAs, Smash Brothers, Pokémon Unite and action games. Loves fighting games, has keen understanding of fighting game mechanics, dynamics, timing, all the aspects that make them awesome".

It's cool to know LFG's game is playable and ready for test, the smallest PS Studio little by little getting closer to release. The open world game is where things get interesting, contrary to the internet popular beliefs Sony doesn't have many active franchises that are open world, only Horizon, Ghost and Spider-Man enter the category and that is why I think the safest bet is to think they will test the Horizon Multiplayer but could be other games. Media Molecule for example asked understanding of open world level design in previous open positions, there are reasons to believe Intergalactic will be open world and Wolverine doesn't look open world but it's not the only game Insomniac is making.

Man I really hope Clair Obscur doesn’t get a sequel. The devs behind this game need to move on to another new idea… I do not want to see this game followed up with an incredibly disappointing sequel. So hard to get those right! Really loving the game so far. (This is the first turn-based combat game I’ve genuinely enjoyed since Undertale from 2018. Before that? Pokémon BW.)