Marathon Season 2 Launch Marred by Server Problems
▼ Summary
– Marathon’s Season 2 update launched on June 2 with new progression, a character type, a night map, and a horror mode, but the game suffered a prolonged server outage on the same day.
– Bungie reported error codes shortly after servers came online, leading to free loot packs and eventually taking servers offline for fixes.
– The outage occurred during a free-to-play first week and coincided with Sony’s PlayStation showcase promo, missing a key opportunity to attract new players.
– As of late June 3, servers were back online with fewer errors, and Bungie promised compensation to affected players.
– The timing is critical because Marathon, a live-service game already struggling, faces added pressure from Destiny 2’s sunset and reported layoffs at Bungie.
The launch of Marathon Season 2 was supposed to mark a turning point for Bungie’s struggling extraction shooter. Instead, it has turned into a frustrating debacle, with widespread server outages preventing most players from even logging in. For a live-service title already fighting for survival, this is about as bad as it gets.
The new season went live on June 2, introducing a complete overhaul of the progression system, a new playable character, a nighttime map, and a survival horror-inspired game mode. On paper, these additions looked promising enough to lure back lapsed players. Even more crucially, the game was made free for the first week of the season, creating a perfect opportunity to attract new blood.
That opportunity has been largely squandered. Within hours of the servers coming back online after maintenance, Bungie acknowledged a surge in “Weasel and Anteater error codes.” By mid-afternoon, the problems were severe enough that the studio began distributing free loot packs as compensation. By 7:00 p.m. ET, the servers were taken completely offline for emergency fixes.
“We need additional time to complete Marathon maintenance and deploy the patch,” Bungie announced around 9:00 p.m. ET, when the servers were originally scheduled to return. “We appreciate your patience and will provide additional updates when they are ready.” As of now, there is no clear timeline for resolution.
The timing could not be worse. The outage coincided with Sony’s PlayStation State of Play summer showcase, where Marathon was prominently featured. With the game currently free, there was no barrier for curious viewers to download and try it. That window is now closing rapidly.
Streamer Knitehawk captured the sentiment perfectly: “It sucks how good the new season felt within those couple matches I got to play. Hopefully the next update fixes everything and we can really see what the team cooked up.”
If Season 2 truly delivers on its promise, this initial stumble may eventually be forgotten. But with Destiny 2 sunsetting and reports of significant layoffs at Bungie looming, Marathon cannot afford many more missteps.
Update (June 3, 12:00 a.m. ET): Marathon servers are back online, and error codes appear to be significantly reduced. Bungie is distributing sponsored kit packages to all affected players as an apology.
(Source: Kotaku)
