Marathon gets new Community Playtest in December – Bungie still keeping release quiet – That’s Gaming

Bungie may not yet have announced a new release date for the troubled Marathon, but a new Community Playtest is coming. From December 12 to 15 can players at console and PC get started again – although everyone must re-register, including those who have participated in an alpha or playtest before.

Strict NDA, limited hours

Play sessions take place daily from 2 PM to 8 PM PT. The test is entirely under NDA:

• No gameplay sharing
• Not posting experiences
• Feedback and bug reports are allowed only through the official Discord

On top of that, the test is exclusive to North America, once again leaving players in Europe (and other regions) behind the net.

What has changed?

Previous leaked impressions indicate that Marathon has now received improvements in the areas of:

• Light and exposure
• UI and menu structure
• New maps not previously shown

Meanwhile, Sony officially still insists on a release before March 31, 2026, but Bungie is silent on crucial details such as:

• Pricing model
• Open playtests
• A new public gameplay reveal

As playtest starts one day after The Game Awards, chances are we will finally see a new trailer or update during Geoff Keighley’s show.

Cinematic short was nít AI

Finally, director Alberto Mielgo, responsible for the striking first short film, made it clear that there was no AI involved.
According to him, everything was made by hand by a team of 155 people, after months of work.
“Yes, our Achilles’ heel: time,” Mielgo said.