Marathon’s Composers on Subverting Expectations With the Soundtrack

Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon is set to launch on March 5, 2026, with a price tag of $39.99. The game has sparked mixed reactions, selling 1.2 million copies but facing a high refund rate of around 70%. Despite this, composers Ryan Lott and Chase Combs are stirring up genuine excitement with the game’s soundtrack. In a recent interview with Aftermath, they shared their creative approach to audio design for this highly anticipated franchise revival.

“We needed to do something that would subvert expectations,” the composers mentioned during their chat with Aftermath. Instead of sticking to the usual synthwave or orchestral-action styles typical in the shooter genre, Lott and Combs aimed for a sound that’s more dissonant and atmospheric. They wanted the music to reflect Bungie’s vision of a game that moves away from its Destiny roots and the original Marathon trilogy from the 1990s.

Ryan Lott, recognized for his work under the Son Lux name and his Oscar-nominated score for Everything Everywhere All at Once, brings impressive compositional skills to the table. Chase Combs, with his extensive background in game audio, helped set up the framework to make those ideas interactive. Together, they created a system where the music can change dynamically based on the gameplay — crucial for an extraction shooter where tension can shift rapidly.

The choice of these composers shows how seriously Bungie views the audio aspect, even as the game encounters challenges elsewhere. Currently, Marathon has 12,488 concurrent players on Steam and holds an 88% positive review score from 33,955 reviews. While those numbers look good on their own, they clash with the refund-rate figures and the community’s growing frustration with Bungie for stepping away from Destiny 3 development.

Lott and Combs described their scoring process as a collaborative effort. They worked closely with Bungie’s internal audio team to make sure the music complemented the gameplay instead of overwhelming it. In extraction shooters, audio cues like footsteps, reloads, and zone timers are critical. The score needs to fill the space without drowning out the sounds players rely on to stay alive. This challenge influenced how aggressive or minimal their compositions could be at different moments.

By The Numbers

Release Date	March 5, 2026
Steam Price	$39.99
Steam Review Score	88% positive (33,955 reviews)
Current Steam Players	12,488
Copies Sold	1.2 million
Reported Refund Rate	~70%

Community reactions to the game itself remain mixed. Several Steam reviewers voiced their disappointment with Bungie’s direction. One reviewer captured a common sentiment, saying, “Should’ve made D3 instead of a niche piece of ♥♥♥♥.” This reflects a vocal group of Destiny players who feel Marathon diverts the studio’s resources, regardless of how well-crafted individual elements like the soundtrack are.

What To Watch

• Refund-rate trajectory: The stability or worsening of that 70% refund rate as the early-access period continues will be a key indicator of Marathon’s commercial success leading up to its full launch.
• Soundtrack reception separate from game reception: Lott’s background outside of gaming could attract attention to the score through music outlets and streaming platforms, regardless of how Marathon performs as a game.
• Bungie’s post-launch content cadence: To keep players engaged in extraction shooters, consistent content updates are essential. Keep an eye on Bungie’s timeline for major updates, which will show how much potential they believe Marathon has.