Bungie announced a one-week free trial for Marathon Season 2 running from June 2 to June 9, 2023. The trial will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, allowing players full access to the game during this period [1, 2].
The developer confirmed that all progress made during the free trial will be retained for players who purchase the full game and continue Season 2. Bungie stated, "Season 2 begins on June 2 and kicks off with an Open Play* Week from June 2 to June 9. During the Open Play Week, the full game will be available... and any progress you make will carry over into Season 2" [2].
The free trial is designed to attract new players after Marathon's launch faced soft sales and declining concurrent player numbers. The game's player count fell from about 80,000 at launch to roughly 10,000 by the end of its first season [2].
Sony, a Marathon partner, said engagement and retention metrics remain high and that efforts will focus on retaining core players through added content and improvements. "We aim to improve the performance of the game by working to retain highly engaged core users through the introduction of additional content, further improvements in the gameplay experience and expansion of the user base," Sony said [2].
Bungie is shifting focus toward Marathon as Destiny 2 ends live-service support in June 2023. The studio confirmed it is not working on Destiny 3 or other new titles and expects significant layoffs amid the winding down of Destiny 2 [1].
The free trial will start on June 2, coinciding with the end of live support for Destiny 2 later that month, marking a major transition point for Bungie's portfolio [1].
