Sony has confirmed that it still plans to launch Marathon and Fairgame$, of which Marathon is scheduled to be released within the fiscal year.
Sony clearly mentioned in its presentation at a recent investor meeting that the Marathon will be launched this fiscal year (before April 1, 2026), and Fairgame$ is marked as "upcoming".
Herman Hulster, CEO of PlayStation Studios Business Group, shared more details about the Marathon with PlayStation President and CEO Hideaki Nishino and Lynn Hazard, Senior Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development, during a fireside conversation with investors (i.e., Q&A).Hulster said:
“For Marathon, our goal is to launch a bold, innovative and immersive piece. This will be Bungie’s first brand new IP in more than a decade and we are looking forward to it. We are monitoring the test cycle, just completed the team’s closed alpha tests and draw all of our experience. We use established data analytics and user testing capabilities to understand the feedback of players to the game.”
"Frankly, some of the feedback was mixed, but it was very useful - that's what we did the test. Continuously testing and validating hypotheses, it's crucial for me to continue iterating and optimizing the game. So when the game is released, we'll create the best chance of success for it."
“The cycle of testing, iteration, and retesting is a key element of the success of service-based games, not only before release, but also throughout the game life cycle. We are committed to continuously leveraging experience to maximize player engagement and satisfaction throughout the game.”
Although many players may have many opinions on these remarks, we need to pay attention to the key issue at hand: "Marathon" has not yet escaped the influence of the plagiarism controversy.Sony's recent trailer shows that its release date is September 23, 2025, but Hulster neither mentioned the plagiarism controversy nor confirmed the date.
If they are tolerant to Hulster and PlayStation management, they may not be able to talk about plagiarism allegations due to legal restrictions, and are not even sure whether plans need to be adjusted in the future or even if the game can be cancelled directly.But judging from Hulster's tone, they may really believe that it will make "Marathon" a great success.If it is less tolerant, Sony's management may not even realize the plagiarism problem of the game.
It is worth noting that Fairgame$ was not mentioned in this fireside conversation, which means that players are still worried about the fate of the game - Sony has not made any statement so far.Last month, Jed Raymond, the head of development team Haven Studios, left, and rumors later said that the feedback on the game trial was still poor.
In addition, Sony seems to have more unannounced service-oriented games to replace the first projects planned by former PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.Sony is sure to succeed by optimizing service-oriented games and regards MLB: Major League Baseball, Destiny 2 and 2 as success stories.It is reported that there is currently a game "Gummy Bear" that has not been officially announced but has been confirmed, developed by TeamLFG.
Although incredible, Sony is not only determined to succeed in the service game field, but also considers itself a successful service game publisher.Even if they have to take huge risks, they still hope to expand into this area - perhaps Sony's advancement of service-oriented games will continue until the release of PlayStation 6.
