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The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Bungie's much-anticipated game, has reared its head again with the news of a exclusive testing phase set to take place soon.

A Challenging Path to Launch

First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has experienced a tumultuous creation process. Last fall, Bungie stated plans were to start Alpha tests sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the project was showcased again in April with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, following initial testing resulted in negative feedback, the studio revealed during summer that it was postponing the game's launch.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Despite the title has already seen its portion of controversies, the development team appears determined to make certain Marathon avoids the same outcome as other games. Currently, it seems the game's development is finally getting back on track, as Bungie just revealed that it has conducted multiple private tests to collect player input on Marathon" since this past summer. The developer is expanding access, allowing additional participants to catch a glimpse of the game via an forthcoming "closed technical test."

Technical Test Details

Given the fact that it's a closed technical test, it's understandably limited access than, for example, an public test. To gain access in the technical test — which takes place between October 22nd to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — players must meet the listed requirements:

• Submit an application via the official website
• Live in supported regions
• Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an compatible CPU, supported graphics card, and sufficient memory)
• Participate in their community platform
• Sign an NDA via the online community

Application Process

Registration is currently available, and to be considered for the private trial, applicants must complete registration by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. PC users can also register via Steam starting on Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PDT, with digital platform registrations due by October 26th. The developer will notify players who qualify and provide details of the following procedures.

"This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Marathon's Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, solo queue, enhanced narrative elements, and more," the studio said. "That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a selection of what's planned for Marathon's full release, focused on the early player experience."

Further Details

More info about the technical test and the actual experience can be found on Marathon's support section. But for players who aren't selected for the test (or cannot participate), there's positive developments: Bungie says a official announcement on the state of the game is the following item on the schedule once the trial concludes.

"We'll be sharing a public update on Marathon's development in the coming months after the Closed Technical Test!" The studio shared.