Marathon is currently Bungie’s focus, especially in the wake of Destiny 2 ending support, but it will be without game director Joe Ziegler. He announced that today would be his last day at the studio. Del Chafe III is taking over his role, with creative director Julia Nardin also helping to “guide the game forward.”
“Both of them have been operating in a strong leadership capacity for the team and are ready to guide Marathon into the next chapter with an even better and brighter future,” says Ziegler. “As for me, I’ll be heading to something new, somewhere else, and will update you on where and what soon.”
While this sounds like he’s moving on to greener pastures, potentially at another game development studio, it’s not exactly the best look for Marathon. Besides facing its own layoffs, the extraction shooter’s player numbers have absolutely cratered on Steam. The last time it averaged above 10,000 concurrent players was on June 27th, and Season 2: NIGHTFALL faltered in sustaining interest, even with the free week.
Of course, support continues, as the new Vault Breaker PvE mode launches on July 21st. It sees groups of one to three Runners venturing into Cryo Archive, opening Vaults to recover Data and enhance special Sponsored Kits for better chances at future runs. You can also unlock other rewards, including Prestige Weapons, that can be used in other modes.
Despite only being available for two weeks, there are plans to bring a full PvE mode in Season 3 this September. That’s alongside changes to Perimeter and other new content, including a new Runner Shell. After that, time will tell, so stay tuned.
