Overview
- Season 2 of Marathon went live on Tuesday, June 2, and opened a weeklong Open Play free period that runs through June 9 to draw new players and measure demand.
- The update ships an experimental mode called Sponsored Survival that starts matches with a lone crew in the Night Marsh and then backfills with solo Rooks, creating a PvP‑lite, 18‑minute run that ends at a single exfil.
- Bungie confirmed that progress and inventories earned during the free week will carry over if players buy the full $40 game, so trial activity can convert to purchases without lost rewards.
- Season 2 also implements the game’s first inventory wipe and adds new systems and gear, including The Cradle progression with a Matter Converter and a defensive Runner Shell called Sentinel to change loadouts and balance.
- The launch is watched closely because Bungie is winding down Destiny 2 and shifting resources to Marathon, making free‑week player counts, retention and PC platform spikes the immediate test that will shape future investment and staffing decisions.