While Bungie has been discreet since October 2025, an advertising video published briefly on the Xbox Store shakes up the calendar. It was a Reddit user, known by the pseudonym TheJuiceBaba, who spotted the ad. He recorded the trailer for Marathonbefore it was quickly removed from the platform. It clearly read: “Released March 5, 2026. Pre-order now.”
Soon after, the video disappeared from the servers, as did the original Reddit post. But the damage was done: the trailer has since been copied and shared by several Internet users. A leak which, according to many observers, would be very real.
An unstable project and years of turbulence at Bungie
The return of Marathon is nothing like a long, quiet river. In 2018, the project was marred by an initial controversy: Sony, Bungie’s parent company, revealed that the game had not achieved its objectives, with a loss estimated at $200 million. A hard blow for the studio, which sees its ambitions revised downwards.
The difficulties do not end there. In May 2025, an artist accused Bungie of plagiarism on visual elements of the game. The dispute was finally resolved, but left a mark on the reputation of the project. In June, another delay: the initial release was pushed back to 2026, officially to incorporate feedback from the first testers.
A closed testing strategy before a massive launch
It wasn’t until last October that Bungie showed signs of life. The studio has launched an invitation-only testing campaign, limited to a limited audience in North America and Europe. The game is currently playable on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, but only for selected testers.
Since then, no official message. The studio seems to be preparing its launch in the greatest secrecy, relying on progressive marketing actions. The Xbox Store leak could therefore just be a premature step in broader communication.
A credible date which confirms the previous clues
The idea of a March 2026 release is not new. Several industry observers were already mentioning this after the test phases. The price of $39.99, already confirmed by Bungie, would correspond to a standard digital edition launch.
If the Xbox Store announcement proves accurate, it is likely that Bungie will quickly make the March 5 date official. In the meantime, fans only have one certainty: Marathon is indeed approaching.