Bungie’s extraction shooter, Marathon, has sold around 1.2 million copies since its launch, as reported by WN Hub. While that figure seems decent at first glance, the situation becomes concerning when you factor in refund rates. Nearly 70% of buyers, according to inkl, requested refunds, leaving Bungie with about 360,000 active players.
To put things in perspective, those 1.2 million sales at Marathon’s $40 launch price translate to roughly $48 million in gross revenue before any cuts from platforms. Sony, which purchased Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2023, needs Marathon to succeed. The studio has dealt with significant layoffs and restructuring recently, including cutting around 220 jobs in October 2023.
A 70% refund rate is nearly unheard of for a major studio’s release. Steam allows refunds within two hours of play and within 14 days of purchase. This means a lot of players tried out Marathon, decided it wasn’t for them, and moved on. That kind of behavior is a tough signal to ignore, especially compared to just looking at sales numbers.
The extraction shooter genre has always struggled to attract mainstream audiences. Even Escape from Tarkov, the genre’s flagship title, has never gained widespread popularity despite its years of development. Bungie aimed to fill this gap with Marathon, but the genre requires a steep learning curve and a dedicated player base—neither of which seemed to show up at launch.
Marathon’s challenges also underscore the risks of premium pricing in a space crowded with free-to-play options. Asking players to pay full price while introducing them to the demanding extraction mechanics leaves little room for a bad first impression.
| Gross Sales (estimated) | ~1.2 million copies |
| Estimated Refund Rate | ~70% |
| Estimated Net Retained Players | ~360,000 |
| Bungie Acquisition Price (Sony, 2023) | $3.6 billion |
| Bungie Layoffs (October 2023) | ~220 employees |
The community’s response has been more subdued than outright hostile, which might be worse for keeping players engaged long-term. One Steam reviewer mentioned they “haven’t played it for long” but liked the maps. This lukewarm feedback shows a player base still figuring things out instead of rallying behind the game. The high refund rate indicates that the first 90 minutes of play are crucial, and that’s where Marathon seems to be losing players.
What To Watch
- Bungie’s post-launch update cadence: The studio’s ability to deliver meaningful content or balance patches quickly will be key in retaining the roughly 360,000 players who stuck with the game. This could determine whether Marathon stabilizes or continues to lose players.
- Sony’s public response: So far, Sony has remained silent about Marathon’s commercial performance. How they frame sales in the future—or if they choose to stay quiet during the next earnings call—will indicate how they’re managing expectations internally.
- Concurrent player counts: Steam’s live player data over the next 30 to 60 days will provide the clearest picture of whether Marathon is on a path to recovery or facing a gradual shutdown of its active servers.
