Bungie unveiled its new team-based extraction shooter Marathon over the weekend, giving us our first honest look at the gameplay and a release date to look forward to. However, we did not get any idea about how much it would cost.
We've known for some time now that Marathon will not be a free-to-play title. The current rumor is that it will be priced at the same level Concord was, at $40. After the weekend showcase went live, previews for Marathon from the press who attended a recent in-person event where they got to play the game and speak to members of Marathon's team at Bungie also went live. GameSpot's preview seems to shed more light on how Marathon will be priced.
Bungie told GameSpot that Marathon will be a "premium" release. Though they did not provide a specific number or price range, Bungie did confirm that it would not be a "full-priced title."
That might be clear as mud, but it at least officially confirms what was already rumored: Marathon will not be aiming for that $70 premium price tag that most triple-A games get. This keeps the $40 price point still firmly in the lead as to what the price of the game might actually be.
With that said, there's a good chance it could be even less than $40 because the significant remaining variable is how Sony will approach Marathon after watching Concord fail in such a big way last year. The two games aren't entirely comparable. Concord was made by a studio with nowhere near Bungie's legacy. Concord was entirely a brand-new series, unlike Marathon, which has an existing fan base that would be interested in trying this reboot of the series.
There's also likely a contingent of Bungie die-hard fans who will buy Marathon just to try the latest game from their favorite studio. Those factors alone make it very unlikely that Marathon crashes in the same way Concord did.
Still, it wouldn't be surprising if Sony chose to hedge its bets by making the barrier to entry for Marathon cheaper than it was for Concord. Pricing won't be the only factor in Marathon's success or lack thereof, but it will still play a big role. Hopefully, we'll have a better idea of the price soon.
