The director of Marathon has recently clarified Bungie's vision for the upcoming revival of this classic franchise, emphasizing that it won't serve as a replacement for Destiny 2. After years of silence following the initial announcement, Bungie has revealed that the new Marathon will launch on September 23—but the developer wants to set clear expectations that this won't be another Destiny-style experience.

The upcoming Marathon game represents the return of a series dormant since the 1990s. Originally debuting in 1994, the first Marathon pioneered many FPS conventions we take for granted today, blending deep narrative with gameplay through environmental storytelling and rich lore. Now, Bungie—best known recently for Destiny and Halo—is resurrecting this legacy franchise. However, the Marathon team wants to ensure players understand this is a fundamentally different experience from Bungie's other titles.

In an interview with GamesRadar+, Marathon director Joe Ziegler stressed that despite some superficial similarities between Marathon and Destiny 2, the new game has completely different design goals. "Destiny 2 has a future," Ziegler stated unequivocally, noting that Bungie continues developing new content for that universe. That said, he believes Destiny players who enjoy PvP may find Marathon compelling—but should understand it's not "Destiny 3 in disguise."

Ziegler acknowledged that Destiny veterans might have some initial advantage due to familiarity with Destiny 2's weapon mechanics, but emphasized that Marathon introduces enough new systems to require significant relearning. Most importantly, he cautioned that players who dislike PvP-centric gameplay may not enjoy Marathon, as the experience fundamentally revolves around player-versus-player encounters where "you will get shot by other runners."

For those hoping Marathon would evolve into Destiny 3 or deliver substantial PvE content, Ziegler was blunt: "Marathon is not your game." The director stressed that Bungie intentionally designed this as a niche experience rather than trying to please everyone. While the September release remains months away, early playtester feedback suggests Marathon could become a standout title in the extraction shooter genre.