Marathon Has Sold 1.2M Copies Across Steam, PS5, and Xbox

Key insights

6 slides

Key number

Marathon generated $55 million in gross revenue.

The game sold 1.2 million copies across Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox.

Launch hurdles

Marathon's sales increased by 49% after its beta.

This was hindered by a poor first-time user experience and UI. The competitor game Arc Raiders saw an 80% spike in sales in the four days following its server stress test.

Like a car with a difficult-to-understand dashboard, new players struggled to get started.

Sales Increase. Launch performance was hindered by a poor first-time user experience and UI, resulting in a 49% increase in sales in the four days following its beta, compared to an 80%…

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Summary

Marathon has generated approximately $55 million in gross revenue, driven by 1.2 million copies sold across Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox. Despite the pedigree of developer Bungie, the title has experienced a tepid commercial launch. Steam serves as the primary platform, accounting for nearly 70% of total sales, while the PS5 and Xbox versions represent 19% and 11% of the volume, respectively. These figures highlight the ongoing shift toward multiplatform releases for first-party Sony titles.

The game’s performance is largely attributed to a challenging first-time user experience. A complex, non-intuitive user interface and a lack of accessible onboarding tutorials have acted as significant barriers for new players. Comparative data shows that while the extraction shooter Arc Raiders saw an 80% surge in sales following its server stress test, Marathon experienced only a 49% increase, suggesting that the game’s initial friction stifled broader adoption.

Despite these early hurdles, the title has cultivated a dedicated core audience. Daily active user counts have stabilized, with Steam players demonstrating higher engagement levels, averaging 27.8 hours of playtime compared to approximately 17 hours on consoles. A significant portion of the player base consists of existing Bungie fans, with high overlap between Marathon players and those who have previously engaged with Destiny 2 and Halo Infinite. The game’s long-term viability now depends on whether the studio can refine the user experience to retain players or if it will face strategic pivots similar to other long-term live-service recovery efforts.