Bungie’s gearing up for the closed Alpha of Marathon, and they’ve just revealed major information about what players can expect. The studio has announced a change in their approach by lifting the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that previously restricted participants from sharing their experiences, feedback, or even streaming content related to the game.
In a recent social media update, Bungie stated, “As developers we believe community feedback and dialog is essential to make the best version of Marathon. Up until now, this feedback has come from closed playtest sessions. In the spirit of building towards that future, we’ve decided to remove the NDA from our Closed Alpha Test. Everyone can share their thoughts, feedback, and footage, including streaming starting on April 23.” You can check out their post here.
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 18, 2025
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Bungie describes this forthcoming Alpha as a “true closed technical test of Marathon.” They made it clear that players will be interested in an unfinished version of the game; it won’t feature finalized visuals or graphics, nor polished user interface elements. Players won’t have access to all runners or zones either—essentially many aspects remain a work in progress.
Bungie’s asking for particular types of feedback from participants during this phase:
- Weapons and gunplay
- Maps and survival gameplay
- Runners, including kits and build-crafting
- Early-game progression like factions, contracts, and faction upgrades
- PvP engagements against other Runners
- PvE engagements against AI combatants
The team emphasizes that maintaining open communication is very important during this Alpha period as well as beyond it. “We’ve been tracking several topics since Reveal,” they mentioned. “We’re looking forward to seeing and hearing your feedback as you play Alpha. After the Closed Alpha Test ends, we’ll be summarizing the major things we heard, our thoughts, and what comes next.” This focus on player input could significantly shape how Marathon develops going forward.
