Marathon's player numbers continue to drop as Tau Ceti has proven to be too brutal for many.
Sony’s latest earnings report pulled back the curtain on a rough stretch for Bungie and its extraction shooter, Marathon. Just two months after launch, the game’s player numbers have dropped sharply, and Sony has now confirmed a massive impairment loss tied to its Bungie assets. The update came during Sony’s fiscal year-end earnings report for the quarter ending 31 March, where the company also shared fresh sales figures for the PlayStation 5, new projections for the year ahead, and a closer look at the challenges facing the console business.
In the financial report, Sony confirmed a US$765 million (120.1 billion yen) impairment loss tied to Bungie’s assets, following a difficult post-launch period for its extraction shooter, Marathon.
Marathon
Release date: 5 March, 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam)
Developer: Bungie
Why did Sony take a US$765 million impairment loss on Bungie?
Sony reported a 120.1 billion yen impairment loss (roughly US$765 million), linked to its Bungie assets following the launch of Marathon. The company did not go into detail about the exact breakdown, but the timing points directly toward the shooter’s difficult post-launch performance.
Released on 5 March, the extraction shooter opened with a peak of 88,337 concurrent players on Steam. During March, the game averaged 37,366 concurrent players, but by May, that peak had fallen to 17,131 players.
Rhys Elliott, Alinea Analytics' Head of Market Analysis, suggested in an Alinea Analytics report that “Marathon hasn’t exactly made the splash Sony and Bungie wanted,” putting sales at roughly 1.2 million copies. This would equate to about US$55 million in gross revenue across PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Reports from outlets like Forbes have also suggested that the game’s development budget exceeded US$200 million, with some estimates placing it closer to US$250 million. That has put even more attention on the game’s commercial performance, especially after Bungie’s long run as one of Sony’s biggest live-service bets.
Marathon’s steep learning curve becomes a barrier for new players
A major talking point surrounding Marathon since launch has been its demanding learning curve. Bungie has repeatedly defended the game’s difficulty, arguing that players gradually learn how to recover from losses and adapt over time. But the recent addition of Cryo Archive, Marathon’s raid-like endgame activity, has reignited some criticism that the game leans too heavily into hardcore extraction shooter design.
Cryo Archive requires players to meet several progression and preparation requirements before even gaining access, making it one of the most punishing experiences currently available in the game.
Former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek recently praised the mode’s ambition while questioning whether average players would stick with it long-term.
During a stream last month, Shroud said: “Cryo Archive is insane. It's the most elaborate extraction shooter map I've ever seen in a game ever.” He continued by questioning whether the mode may simply be too demanding for the broader audience that Bungie needs to sustain a live-service game. “The problem is, is it too elaborate? Is it too complex? Is it too much of a grind? Is your 9-5 grandma and grandpa going to be able to do it? I don't know.”
The comments quickly spread across the Marathon community, especially as player numbers continued trending downward through April and May.
With player counts trending downward since launch, Bungie is now under pressure to steady engagement and rebuild momentum around Marathon’s core systems. The coming weeks could be crucial for the game overall.
