Marathon's 'underwhelming' Steam player count has sparked widespread debate within the community, with major game developers also weighing in.
Marathon is currently under heavy scrutiny from the gaming community, not only due to its recent launch and hype but also for what many claim is a lacklustre player base. Whether that criticism is valid or not, it has sparked widespread discourse, involving even developers from major games.
Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon was released a week ago to strong reception, topping Steam’s best-seller chart on launch day–even surpassing the critically acclaimed Resident Evil: Requiem at that time. Players have responded well so far, giving the game a “Very Positive” rating on Steam.
While things appear to be going well for Marathon, with players working together to unlock new maps and anticipating future updates, posts about its supposedly “underwhelming” player count have begun circulating online.
At launch, Marathon peaked at around 70,000 concurrent players, failing to surpass the milestone of the soon-to-close Highguard, which peaked at near 100,000 players. Marathon now averages 50,000 to 60,000 players, as seen on Steam Charts.
It did not take long for player-count observers to pull these numbers and raise concerns about the game’s future. The debate intensified further following the successful release of Slay the Spire II, which reached nearly 600,000 concurrent players shortly after launch, quickly overshadowing Marathon.
A recent Reddit post said “This game is amazing but player count is dropping”, followed by the user’s suggestions to solve the issue. Another post that pointed out low player count numbers have been removed from the Marathon sub-reddit, and another post was seen expressing the same concerns.
This quickly spiralled into a broader debate about Marathon’s longevity, the relevance of player-count metrics, and the overall health of new game launches.
Marathon community divided over player-count discourse
Mixed opinions regarding the issue had spread across social media.
Many criticised the player-count panic, arguing that Marathon’s numbers remain strong by most standards and the game has been widely praised for its high-quality product with little to no dealbreaker.
However, others defended the concerns. A post on Reddit argues that such panic stems from the reality that large publishers are increasingly quick to abandon projects if they fail to meet expectations–something seen in the recent shutdown of Highguard. These worries mostly come from the fact that Sony is backing Marathon, the same publisher that cancelled Concord and recently closed Bluepoint Studios, among other controversies.
In response, some players warned that amplifying player-count panic could ultimately harm the game itself by discouraging potential players from trying it.
Developers weigh in on the issue
The debate soon expanded beyond the community. Developers from other major titles also stepped in to share their perspectives.
The creative director of multiplayer shooter Warframe, Rebb Ford, pointed out how dramatically the gaming landscape has changed, noting that the industry is now far more saturated and competitive than it was a decade ago.
“When Warframe released we had 435 other titles competing for the attention of millions of Steam users. Now games have 20,014 other games in the same year competing for many millions of Steam users who have already been exposed to more than 80,000 prior releases they might have liked,” she posted in a reply to a critical comment, further stating that her team got “incredibly lucky.”
Another user added to her point beneath the post, “That's only a tip of the iceberg here. Every new game that comes out has to compete with 30 years’ worth of gaming backlog created by the entire humanity.”
This is reflected in current gaming trends, where older titles continue to dominate player numbers. Games such as Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, and PUBG–released years ago–including even a decade-old title like GTA V still maintain massive player bases.
Overwatch senior designer, Dylan Snyder, offered a more blunt defence. Responding to a post highlighting Marathon’s supposed 50% player drop, Snyder wrote:
“Is the 50% player drop in the room with us right now?
Feel free to dislike and pass up any game you want, more power to you, but this is big unemployed, maidenless behaviour…”
He continued to address the Steam Charts frenzy under the post, “As someone who knows actual Overwatch player numbers, I tend to just laugh about SteamDB being used as a mic drop.”
Marathon currently sits at #17 on Steam’s most-played chart, nestled between established titles such as Apex Legends and Stardew Valley. It also ranks higher than Helldivers 2, Battlefield 6, and Call of Duty.
