March is shaping up to be a pivotal month for the video game industry, as several highly anticipated titles are set to release, signaling an end to the traditional winter lull that leaves many gamers itching for something new. At the forefront of this spring surge is Marathon, Bungie’s first new shooter in years, which is generating both excitement and controversy even before its official launch.
According to AV Club, the industry is buzzing with anticipation for Marathon, which is scheduled for release on March 5, 2026, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This title marks Bungie’s return to its roots, reviving the original Marathon series for a new era and a new audience. The game is described as an online multiplayer "extraction shooter," a genre built around three-person teams, with up to six players facing off in each match. Unlike many contemporary shooters, Marathon will not be free-to-play; instead, players will need to pay at least $40 for the cheapest edition, a throwback to the pre-Fortnite era when pay-to-play was the industry standard.
To give players a taste of what’s to come, Bungie hosted a free preview of Marathon during the weekend preceding its March 5 release. The preview offered fans a chance to experience the new extraction shooter format firsthand, and the response has been closely watched by both industry insiders and players eager to see if Bungie can break the multiplayer shooter losing streak that has left even established studios struggling. As AV Club puts it, "If the studio that created Halo can’t pull off a launch anymore, can anybody?" The stakes are high, and the pressure is on for Bungie to deliver a hit.
Yet, even as the game itself draws attention, the surrounding drama has been impossible to ignore. On February 25, 2026, PC Gamer published a report clarifying rumors about controversial streamer Dr Disrespect and his alleged involvement with Marathon. Dr Disrespect, whose real name is Guy Beahm, has been a polarizing figure in the streaming world, especially since his lifetime ban from Twitch for sending inappropriate DMs to a minor—a ban he himself later described as resulting from behavior "in the direction of being inappropriate." Despite the severity of the allegations and the subsequent fallout, Beahm has managed to maintain a sizable audience on YouTube and the far-right streaming platform Rumble.
The latest controversy erupted after Dr Disrespect used the hashtag #marathonpartner in a post on X (formerly Twitter), promoting his coverage of Marathon’s server slam playtest. The implication was clear: he wanted his followers to believe he had an official partnership with Bungie for this new release. However, the development team behind Marathon was quick to set the record straight. In response to a public request for clarification, the official Marathon dev team account stated flatly, "He’s not partnered." This swift denial left little room for doubt and underscored the studio’s desire to distance itself from the streamer.
This wasn’t the first time Dr Disrespect had fabricated connections to major game projects. Just a month prior, he falsely claimed to have been invited to a preview event for another shooter, Highguard, even going so far as to create a fake press access badge. The stunt caused confusion and skepticism within the gaming community, and set a precedent for doubting any future claims of official partnerships involving Beahm. As PC Gamer notes, "After his Twitch ban, Dr Disrespect—aka Guy Beahm—continued his streaming career on YouTube, and now also streams on the far-right Rumble platform. He also co-founded a game studio, Midnight Society, which cut him loose after the cause of his Twitch ban was revealed in 2024. The studio later closed without releasing its extraction shooter, though it did manage to sell some NFTs."
Given this track record, many fans and industry observers have become wary of any assertions by Dr Disrespect regarding official ties to game developers. The PC Gamer article suggests that, "if you hear rumors that he’s officially partnered with a big game developer, you can pretty safely assume that it’s not true, given the precedent he’s currently setting." The gaming community, already on high alert after the Highguard incident, was quick to question the legitimacy of his claims about Marathon as well.
Despite the surrounding noise, the anticipation for Marathon remains strong. The extraction shooter format—where players must not only face off against each other but also survive and "extract" with their loot—has become increasingly popular, though not without its share of high-profile failures. Bungie’s decision to revisit its original series after 30 years is seen as both a nostalgic nod and a bold gamble. The studio’s reputation, built on the runaway success of Halo and the ongoing popularity of Destiny, means expectations are sky-high.
One significant aspect of Marathon’s launch is its paid entry model. In an era dominated by free-to-play titles funded by microtransactions, Bungie’s choice to require an upfront payment could either help the game stand out or limit its audience. AV Club points out that "one thing that might keep Marathon running is that it’s not free-to-play; players will actually have to put money down just to play the thing, which has become a rarity in this post-Fortnite world." Whether this approach will pay off remains to be seen, but it certainly marks a return to the industry’s earlier days.
The Marathon launch is also notable for its timing. March is packed with other major releases, including the return of Scott Pilgrim in a new beat-’em-up format and a slate of complex RPGs. This competitive landscape means Bungie’s new offering will have to work even harder to capture players’ attention and wallets. The free preview weekend was designed to build momentum and generate word-of-mouth buzz ahead of the official launch, and early feedback will likely play a crucial role in determining the game’s trajectory.
For Bungie, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The first-person shooter genre has seen its share of struggles in recent years, with even established franchises facing dwindling player bases and critical setbacks. Marathon represents not just a return to form for the studio, but also a test of whether a beloved legacy and a bold new direction can coexist in today’s fast-moving, ever-demanding gaming market.
As the countdown to March 5 continues, all eyes are on Bungie and Marathon—not just for the gameplay, but for what it signals about the future of multiplayer shooters and the shifting culture of gaming itself.