🔗 Share this article Bungie's Troubled Action Game Project Marathon Is Making a Comeback Marathon, the studio's much-anticipated project, has reared its head again with the announcement of a closed technical test set to take place soon. A Challenging Path to Launch Initially revealed during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has undergone a bumpy creation process. Last fall, Bungie stated it was aiming to begin alpha testing during the coming year. This was followed by quiet months, until the project was re-revealed in April with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, following initial testing led to negative feedback, the studio revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely. Steering Clear of Controversy Though the title has already encountered its portion of issues, the development team appears determined to make certain their project avoids the same outcome as other games. Now, it appears the project's progress is moving forward again, as they just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to gather feedback on Marathon" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, allowing additional participants to get an early look of the experience via an forthcoming "closed technical test." Exclusive Testing Information Considering it's a closed testing phase, it's naturally more exclusive than, for example, an open beta. To participate in the exclusive trial — which runs from October 22nd to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — participants must satisfy the listed pre-requisites: Submit an application via the official website Reside in supported regions Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or S, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and 8GB RAM) Participate in the official Discord server Sign an NDA via the Discord server Application Process Registration is currently available, and to be considered for the technical test, applicants must submit their application by the October 16th deadline. PC users can also submit their application via Steam starting on October 13th, with digital platform registrations due by Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. Bungie will contact players who qualify and inform them of the next steps. "This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Marathon's Alpha, including multiple locations, five runner shells, proximity communication, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and additional features," the studio stated. "However, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a selection of what's intended for Marathon's full release, concentrating on the initial gameplay moments." Further Details Additional details about the private trial and the actual experience can be located on the game's help page. But for individuals who aren't selected for the test (or cannot participate), there's still good news: Bungie says a official announcement on the project's status is the next thing on the agenda once the trial concludes. "We'll be sharing a comprehensive report on Marathon's development in the coming months after the Closed Technical Test!" The studio announced.