Bungie has long been acquainted with the quirks of game development, and their latest title, Marathon, is no exception. Despite not yet being released, the extraction shooter has already encountered an unusual bug. Pre-orders went live on January 19, and initial reports indicate a positive reception, a stark contrast to its earlier label of being ‘dead on arrival.’ However, some players opting to pre-order on Steam have experienced a peculiar glitch: the purchase of Marathon inadvertently triggers the installation of Destiny 2 on their PCs.
This situation might evoke memories of U2’s controversial album drop on iTunes in 2014, but it is essential to clarify that this is not a deliberate action by Bungie. While Destiny 2 currently finds itself in a challenging position—many players, including myself, are finding it hard to return to the game—it seems unlikely that Bungie would resort to such tactics to promote their new title. This incident appears to be a mere case of a back-end anomaly.
Resolution and Insights
The Marathon Development Team addressed the issue through their official account, stating, “We’ve resolved an issue where Destiny 2 would begin installing after pre-ordering Marathon on Steam.” They also acknowledged a separate problem where owners of the Collector’s Edition faced errors when activating their game codes on Steam, which has since been corrected.
Speculation regarding the root cause of this glitch points to the pre-order incentive: complimentary Destiny 2 cosmetics included with any edition of Marathon. This bundle features three vibrant, blocky, UESC-themed items. While the ship and Sparrow may appear somewhat whimsical, the Ghost shell has garnered a more favorable reception among fans.
It seems possible that a mix-up occurred in the linking process between the two games, inadvertently causing the base game of Destiny 2 to install alongside the pre-order. Fortunately, this issue has now been resolved.
In addition to the pre-order hiccup, Bungie has been addressing another bug related to the delivery of these bonuses in Destiny 2. Earlier this week, players found that the bundle was not appearing in their Special Delivery Kiosks, but that issue has also been rectified, allowing players to collect their pre-order rewards seamlessly.
As we look ahead, there is a cautious optimism surrounding the launch of Marathon. Bungie has made significant strides in recent weeks to shift the narrative from negativity to hopefulness. With the release date pushed back from September to March 5, the additional development time should ideally mitigate any potential launch issues. However, the stakes are high; a rocky start could hinder the game’s ability to make a strong first impression in a competitive market.
