Bungie’s upcoming live-service extraction shooter, Marathon, will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Bungie has confirmed that its upcoming Marathon revival won’t mandate a PlayStation Network account requirement on other platforms. The PSN account requirement has been quite contentious for Sony games outside the PlayStation ecosystem, so the Bungie update is a relieving sign for players planning to try out Marathon on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Last year, Sony came under fire for announcing PSN account integration on Steam for Helldivers 2, inciting so much outrage that the gaming giant eventually backtracked on the rule. However, Sony did implement the PSN account linking mandate in subsequent PlayStation PC releases, including single-player games like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. Since Marathon is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, there were some anxieties about Sony levying the PSN account requirement for the live-service extraction shooter, given the PlayStation parent company owns Bungie.
This concern was brought up on Bungie’s official Discord server, where the developer affirmed that Marathon will not force PSN account linking for Xbox Series X/S and PC players. Instead, Marathon will most likely require a Bungie.net account for cross-platform and cross-save functionality, which many Destiny 2 players are already familiar with. The news is no doubt welcome for those who were dissatisfied with Sony for enforcing a mandatory PSN account in its PC games, and will hopefully generate more goodwill for Bungie and Marathon.
Marathon to Eschew PSN Account Linking Rule for PC, Xbox Players
The coming days are going to be exciting for Bungie fans too, as the studio will hold a dedicated gameplay showcase for Marathon on April 12. Concrete details about Marathon‘s gameplay, features, and possibly even its release date, will break cover during this presentation, so fans won’t have to wait long to see what Bungie has been cooking up all these years. The reassurance that players won’t have to deal with a PSN account to play Marathon looks to be a promising sign for the game’s reception ahead of the April 12 showcase.
As for why Marathon is exempt from the PSN account linking mandate, the reason may lie in Bungie’s organizational structure. While the Destiny 2 developer is owned by Sony, it doesn’t quite sit within the PlayStation Studios umbrella. Sony acquired Bungie to gain expertise in the live-service arena, and as part of the buyout agreement, allowed the studio to develop games for whichever platforms it wishes to. This also happens to be the reason Marathon‘s launch platforms include the Xbox Series X/S, the PS5’s direct competitor.
