Despite all the gameplay reveals, closed alpha dates, and technical specs Bungie has shared about Marathon, one thing still hasn't been clarified: how much will the game cost? Bungie has danced around the subject for months, referring to Marathon as a "premium title" while keeping the price under wraps.
The studio has gone out of its way to clarify that it won't be a full-priced game—so not $70—but has offered no firm confirmation beyond that. Even after community confusion and reports falsely labeling it as a full-price release, Bungie's response remained vague: yes, it's premium, but no, it won't cost as much as a standard retail title.
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+ 3Internally, pricing seems to still be in flux as well. Assistant game director Del Chafe recently spoke about the issue in an interview, but even he didn't provide any hard numbers. Instead, he said, "We'll have conversations about this, and a bunch of other people are going to have really good feedback about it."
And I think we all know what happens when a studio avoids talking about pricing this close to release. It usually means there’s more to the story. Maybe it's a lower upfront cost paired with aggressive monetization later. Maybe it's battle passes, cosmetics, or whatever the new “standard” is for live-service games.
Other recent Sony-published titles like Helldivers 2 and Concord launched at around $40. Helldivers 2 had its moment, but Concord didn't last, which has some wondering if Marathon might be headed for a similar downfall. Marathon’s already being compared to those games, whether Bungie likes it or not, and the longer this goes on, the more questions keep popping up.
click to enlarge+ 3The main issue is what a “mid-range” price could really mean. If Marathon also launches in that $30–$40 range, it might sound like a good deal up front—but it raises red flags about how Bungie plans to make up the difference.
Another elephant in the room is monetization. While Bungie hasn't laid out the plan yet, Chafe acknowledged the concern and said, "We're not ready to talk about it right now, but when we're ready, we'll share some of the stuff we're discussing."
It's a polite dodge, yet a dodge all the same—much like Bungie's pattern of waiting until the very end. The Destiny community remembers all too well how aggressive cosmetic pricing became over time. So, when Bungie describes Marathon as "premium," some fans don't just see a lower price—they see a future packed with microtransactions.
click to enlarge+ 3Without firm boundaries, there's no telling how deep monetization might go this time. Despite all these growing concerns, Bungie doesn't seem to be rushing to provide clarity. With closed alpha kicking off soon, players will soon be able to test gameplay, but there's still radio silence on pricing—even though the game's release is just months away.
I have no issue paying for a good game, but I want to know exactly what I’m getting into. The question of Marathon's price continues to hang in the air until Bungie makes an official statement. It's not about whether the game will be worth it—it's about why Bungie still won't say what it actually is.