Troy Baker Defends Live-Service Games Amid Marathon’s Rough Start

Troy Baker’s defense of live-service games comes at a tricky time. Bungie’s Marathon currently has 2,825 concurrent players on Steam, following what many outlets have called a rocky launch. Baker believes the model isn’t the issue; it’s all about execution. The data surrounding Marathon makes that point hard to overlook.

Marathon launched at $39.99 on Steam and holds an 80% positive rating from 47,854 reviews. That sounds good at first glance, but the recent community feedback tells a different story, leaning mostly negative. This gap between the overall score and current reactions suggests that early players were more forgiving, while newer players are voicing their frustrations as time goes on.

The game’s launch history backs up the “troubled launch” theme. Game Rant’s article from July 2 highlighted Bungie’s struggles with its live-service model. The studio even scheduled a maintenance update — version 1.1.0.4 — for July 7, just weeks after launch. This kind of quick patching often means the team is dealing with issues rather than building on a solid foundation.

Baker argues that the live-service model can work, and there’s a solid example to back him up. Helldivers 2 debuted in February 2024 at the same $39.99 price point, reaching over 458,000 concurrent players and keeping its community engaged with regular updates. The key difference? Helldivers 2 had a clear gameplay loop that rewarded players after each session. In contrast, Marathon’s critics highlight a frustrating experience: long loot runs often end up being thwarted by campers, leaving players feeling like their efforts were wasted.

Bungie, now part of Sony after a $3.6 billion acquisition in 2022, faces pressure to make Marathon a sustainable revenue source. With Destiny 2’s player base shrinking over the last two years and layoffs happening in 2024, Marathon was meant to be the next big thing. However, having fewer than 3,000 concurrent players — even without considering console numbers — doesn’t support that goal.

By The Numbers

Steam Price	$39.99
Steam Review Score	80% positive
Total Steam Reviews	47,854
Current Steam Players	2,825
Days to First Major Patch	~35 (Update 1.1.0.4, July 7)

Community Pulse: One Steam reviewer summed up the main complaint perfectly: “Looting for 10 minutes and then dying to some campers is not fun. There is no suspense or tension, cause whatever loot you have is worthless.” This highlights a key issue — extraction shooters depend on the thrill of losing gear. If players don’t see the loot as valuable, the tension that makes the genre exciting disappears.

What To Watch

• Update 1.1.0.4 patch notes: The focus of this update will reveal whether Bungie is tackling core gameplay issues or just fixing minor bugs. Changes to loot value, time-to-kill, or spawn systems would show that they’ve taken the main criticism seriously.
• 30-day player retention: Steam Charts data in the coming month will help us see if Marathon can stabilize its player base or if it continues to decline. Dropping below 1,000 concurrent players would make it hard to argue for a comeback.
• PS Plus inclusion: Predictions from June already indicated that Marathon is unlikely to be included in the July 2026 PS Plus lineup. If Sony changes its mind and offers the game to subscribers sooner, it would suggest that the $39.99 price tag is too high to attract the player base the game desperately needs.