Overview
- Forbes, in a Thursday report, said sources put Marathon’s development costs above $200 million and likely over $250 million, excluding ongoing support.
- Alinea’s estimate of about 1.2 million copies sold was described as close to accurate by Bungie sources, with roughly 70% of the player base on Steam.
- Peak concurrent players have fallen about 68% since launch to roughly 27,000 on Steam, and the Cryo Archive endgame activity did not produce a sustained bump.
- Players and reporters cite steep difficulty and live issues such as bad RNG spawn ties to Cryo Archive, an overpowered Compiler boss drop, and rising cheating; Bungie has pushed rapid balance and fix patches.
- Sources describe improved morale and a long‑term support plan with no imminent shutdown, though coverage notes the large budget and slipping retention make future profitability uncertain for this $40 live‑service shooter.