Richard Foge, Design Director at Undead Labs, came on Iron Lords Podcast episode 67 as a guest, during which he answered some questions about the Microsoft acquisition of Undead Labs.
Marathon was slated to launch on Sept. 23, 2025 across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, but Bungie will share the new release date in the fall.
It will lessen though and possibly make all the difference if it launches in a state that rectified a lot of the issues people had with it. A LOT of ifs of course.
If you really gotta play ... play the better extraction shooter this year : ARC Raiders
They can't cancel it until a themed controller has been released first... like concord.
If they were absolutely certain about the quality of Marathon, then they had not delayed it just now.
So they've basically just confirmed what everyone, well, a lot of people saw: Marathon is not ready yet, still no soul to be seen.
"Doubling down on the Marathon Universe"
They're doubling down on soul, thank goodness this feedback illuminated that for them...
and N4G was littered with comments like : Marathon looks really good, maybe you're a hater and the likes blah blah ... especially under articles which compared it with Arc Raiders ....
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.
I’ll get Space Marine 2 when it’s cheaper. I don’t pay more than half price for short games.
The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil
In early November, on the eve of the crucial holiday shopping season, staffers at the video-game studio BioWare were feeling optimistic. After an excruciating development cycle, they had finally released their latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and the early reception was largely positive. The role-playing game was topping sales charts on Steam, and solid, if not spectacular, reviews were rolling in.
Its easy they called the die hard fans people in their nerd caves who will buy anything and then went woke to reach modern audiences....insulting the nerds in their caves along the way showing utter contempt for their fan base. very hapy it failed and any company who insults their fan base and treat their customers with contempt and insults, in future, i also hope fail.
It’s disappointing but not surprising to see what's happening with Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the broader situation at BioWare. The layoffs are tragic — no one wants to see talented developers lose their jobs. But when studios repeatedly create games that alienate their own fanbase, outcomes like this become unfortunately predictable.
There’s a pattern we’re seeing far too often: beloved franchises are revived, only to be reshaped into something almost unrecognizable. Changes are made that no one asked for, often at the expense of what originally made these games special. Then, when long-time fans express concern or lose interest, they’re told, “This game might not be for you.” But when those same fans heed that advice and don’t buy the game, suddenly they're labeled as toxic, sexist, bigoted, or worse.
Let’s be clear: the overwhelming majority of gamers have no issue with diversity, LGBTQ+ representation, or strong female leads. In fact, some of the most iconic characters in gaming — like Aloy, Ellie, or FemShep — are proof that inclusivity and excellent storytelling can and do go hand in hand. The issue arises when diversity feels performative, forced, or disconnected from the narrative — when characters or themes are inserted not to serve the story, but to satisfy a corporate DEI checklist. Audiences can tell the difference.
When studios chase approval from a vocal minority that often doesn’t even buy games — while simultaneously dismissing loyal fans who actually do — they risk not just the success of individual titles, but the health of their entire studio. Telling your core customers “don’t buy it if you don’t like it” is not a viable business strategy. Because guess what? Many of us won’t. And when the game fails commercially, blaming those very fans for not supporting it is both unfair and self-defeating.
Gamers aren’t asking for less diversity or less progress. We’re asking for better writing, thoughtful character development, and a respect for the franchises we’ve supported for decades. When you give people great games that speak to them — whether they’re old fans or new players — they will show up. But if you keep making games for people who don’t play them, don’t be surprised when those who do stop showing up
I thought the writing and character development were fine. Sometimes things just dont resonate with people.
Seems they’re going to purchase even more studios down the road.
“Phil Spencer has reiterated that he doesn’t think Microsoft is done building their first-party, so it’ll be interesting to see where things go from here.“
I really like the idea of going after the creative talent above all else. Money can't buy some things, and I hope they continue to build with studios like UL.
And even though UL may not be getting the attention of some of the other acquired studios, it is the one I am most excited about. Give me a AAA zombie sim where I can embrace my inner Negan and have a full Saviors' server.
I know a lot of people who LOVE this game. I'm not one of them. I think they have the final damentals of a AAA game but it's rough around the edges, hopefully MS can give them the scope to make this franchise a AAA title
I dont know about the landscape. I just hope for more polished game.
Please offer them some money so we can see some HZD level of quality.