Negotiator101
Member
Not if it's done well, this isn't the case here though, hence why it's dropped off so rapidly.
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Marathon Server Slam CCU Watch
- Thread starter Kacho
- Start date
Lokaum D+
Member
yeah, but its only a 80K difference, not 220K.
yurinka
Member
Maybe it's fine for PvP or at least hardcore PvP/extraction shooter players, but feels too hardcore for me. With some patience is perfectly ok, but I assume many people will leave it because didn't know many things.
I think it has a great tutorial, but would be nice if it would be longer to show other basic things, like what each button press does (both single press and keeping pressed) because many people won't know many things exist. Same goes with the special abilities and differences between the different shells, because most people will just pick their favorite based on looks and won't know that they got stuck in a mission that is way easier with another shell.
They could do it without a traditional tutorial, but instead just with adding as first missions to play x times with certain character and use x times each skill briefly explaining pros and cons of the character.
I also saw that at least in this free weekend demo apparently the matchmaking doesn't care about the level of the players, and I think it should prioritize to match all the players in a map having the same or similar level.
Small tweaks that would make the game way more appealing to many people more, while the game still wouldn't lose its hardcore vibe.
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Ogbert
Member
Yes, fair enough for PC. But not for console.
I think it's more that Bungie are, for better or worse, near the very summit of developers. Their games should be as inviting as possible to encourage millions of sales and hundreds of thousands of players.
Destiny, at its best, catered to all audiences. A casual player (like me) got 100s of hours levelling, collecting guns, running strikes and playing crucible. And then there was an entirely different world of dungeon and raid players, alongside competitive pvp, that essentially offered a different game. I absolutely *hate* the word, as it's corporate bullshit, but they managed to design an 'ecosystem' that catered for a variety of gamers.
Marathon does not feel like it shares that design philosophy. I was hoping for an extraction shooter that offered a playstyle that could, for a bum like me, be effectively pve. A little like a patrol zone in Destiny 2, where you just run around, shoot stuff and grind out experience / loot. PvP could be easily avoided whilst maintaining lots of stuff to do. This feels like full on extraction sweatiness.
As I say, for fans of the genre, it might be perfect. But I'm surprised that a developer that has a vested interest in welcoming as many players as possible (especially on console) has created such a high barrier of entry to enjoy their title.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
We'll see.
It's just strange to hear people call the genre niche when it's probably one of the biggest genres in games right now.
Negotiator101
Member
I suppose, I said this before but do you think if they went more Destiny in art direction it would be better received than it is now with everything else being the same? I'm just interested hearing from a fan of the game why they think it's not getting big numbers? As I believe it's a lot to do with how it looks.
Ogbert
Member
I suspect it would just annoy Destiny fans that were hoping for more Destiny.
I admire how bold they have been with their design choices. I just don't like them.
Signalis
Member
Yes he did, I'm too lazy to search his post history but it's in there somewhere, but he is big on the GaaS train, and that is apparently all people play, and no one plays SP games anymore.Please tell me he didn't say single player games are dead
KyoZz
Tag, you're it.
clarky
Gold Member
Like all the best games.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
I don't think multi-player gamers care about art style at all. When I talk to randoms in game, the topic of graphics or style basically never comes up. Replayability and depth are at the forefront of multi-player.
Steep learning curve in the beginning + brain rot gamers + everything gets wiped in 2 days. I'm not worried about it. I see it as a surefire hit.
coachmcguirk91
Member
Even Steam Player counts have flattened since yesterday. The struggle bus is just extremely real for the beginning of the game to an absolute brutal degree. It is not very enjoyable to play with a character starting at zero with usually shit weapons
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StreetsofBeige
Member
Steam CCU is now about 70-75,000 the past couple hours, which is the exact same as yesterday during the same time slots.
Varteras
Member
We need a tag under your name instead of Member. "CCU Baron". You're on top of this shit lol
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Shubh_C63
Member
I think it might stabilize with same numbers as PAYDAY2.
And with base of 15K-30K and how bungie learned squeezing with Eververse store (with D2 ~100K players), I think they could get in the green. Don't know mtx behavior comparison between PvP and PvE groups though.
Shubh_C63
Member
I am so excited to see what comes next. Marathon 100% not gonna out gross Destiny launch months/years. Even considering the team size and budgets behind each, Marathon is not proving to be Destiny's replacement (financially), which has been consistently been in Top12 revenue earner for a decade on Steam.
Where do they go from here. Downsize and keep making D2 content (avg ~20K players), or go all in again and spend 5 years making Destiny 3.
I collect VHS tapes
Gold Member
Action-Adventure
RTS
Sims
RPGs
Sports
Fighting games
Survival games
Battle royale
Horror
Racing
Rogue like
Souls like
I could go on and on and on….
ChorizoPicozo
Member
Maybe at their prime
Hollywood Hitman
Gold Member
DeaDPo0L84
Member
The game may find its audience, but anyone thinking this is going to be the next big thing, which it absolutely needs to be, is kidding themselves.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Are they owning the chuds?
Emmy Ator Best
Member
The expectations were for Marathon to be one of the 5 biggest games of the year
Safe to say it already failed
Safe to say it already failed
Boss Mog
Member
I'd be genuinely shocked if it made it into the top 20, let alone the top 5.
EDIT: The more I think about it the more comical it becomes. Let's look at some of the big games of 2026: GTA6, RE9, Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis, Forza Horizon 6, Crimson Desert, Control Resonant, Tides of Annihilation, Phantom Blade 0, 007: First Light, Wolverine, some kind of COD game and whatever Nintendo churns out in 2026. And so you think your game will be in the Top 5 while competing against these games? I mean you have to believe it, otherwise wouldn't you be purposely setting yourself up for failure?
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Herbspiceguy
Member
Right on the money with my early, first prediction.
Dropping CCU peaks and lows after day 1 was exactly what I was expecting:
Liopleurodon
Member
To be honest, this was pretty much true for every game that I decided to actually dedicate myself to.
IAmAnAgnostic
Member
I tried the game, to put it mildly it isn't for me. I don't think even the genre is, for which this game was my first introduction to. It does a very poor job of explaining core mechanics and what the genre is to a newcomer, such as myself, which bodes very badly for the general public and their sales expectations.
Let me put it this way, I didn't know (prior or while playing) that this game was PvP primarily, I thought it was just an incredibly boring PvE game where you barely encounter any enemies. Instead, it is even worse, because you play against sweaty other people who are hiding and then pop out to kill you in a huge map. Incredibly riveting, for some people, but not for me. And again, I didn't even know it was PvP, they have humanoid PvE enemies thrown in which look the same as the PvP players.
That's not even getting to the esoteric UI and 'objectives', braindead boring environments (Empty offices? Forever? That is a choice) and lack of any hook. I actually even like the stolen artstyle (I know they made up with the artist), but its used to service hallways almost exclusively..
Seems like people within Bungie might want to start updating their resumes tbh, I can very much see why the player count is trending down. I tried it, would never try again unless the entire game was reworked, but don't bother.
Let me put it this way, I didn't know (prior or while playing) that this game was PvP primarily, I thought it was just an incredibly boring PvE game where you barely encounter any enemies. Instead, it is even worse, because you play against sweaty other people who are hiding and then pop out to kill you in a huge map. Incredibly riveting, for some people, but not for me. And again, I didn't even know it was PvP, they have humanoid PvE enemies thrown in which look the same as the PvP players.
That's not even getting to the esoteric UI and 'objectives', braindead boring environments (Empty offices? Forever? That is a choice) and lack of any hook. I actually even like the stolen artstyle (I know they made up with the artist), but its used to service hallways almost exclusively..
Seems like people within Bungie might want to start updating their resumes tbh, I can very much see why the player count is trending down. I tried it, would never try again unless the entire game was reworked, but don't bother.
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WhamBamThankYouMaam
Member
Marathon wasn't for me, never started it again after my first evening and cancelled the preorder.
But, I don't see the numbers of the test as bad? I mean, if I was intent on playing and I knew there was a wipe..well I would probably be playing it anyway but I assume many feel different.
It is a new game, even if you don't find it to be your style how the hell can you actively dislike it? It is just not for you. I hope all marathon lovers have a long and great affair with this.
But, I don't see the numbers of the test as bad? I mean, if I was intent on playing and I knew there was a wipe..well I would probably be playing it anyway but I assume many feel different.
It is a new game, even if you don't find it to be your style how the hell can you actively dislike it? It is just not for you. I hope all marathon lovers have a long and great affair with this.
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SatansReverence
Hipster Princess
So I installed it.
Uninstalled less than 30 seconds into the tutorial.
I haven't seen mouse input that bad since the skyrim days.
Not hard to understand the flat lined CCU.
Uninstalled less than 30 seconds into the tutorial.
I haven't seen mouse input that bad since the skyrim days.
Not hard to understand the flat lined CCU.
RafterXL
Member
This game is so dead. They paid literally every streamer on the planet to push it yesterday to get this peak of 340k viewers and lost 90% of those viewers in a matter of hours. There is zero interest in this game other than people wanting to watch a car crash. This was prime Saturday hours, btw.
No streamer is going to play this game after the sponsorship if their audience doesn't watch, that's just a fact. And without "influencers" this game has no one to prop it up. Bungie is cooked.
No streamer is going to play this game after the sponsorship if their audience doesn't watch, that's just a fact. And without "influencers" this game has no one to prop it up. Bungie is cooked.
coachmcguirk91
Member
There are a ton of massively successful GAAS games that don't have big Twitch numbersThis game is so dead. They paid literally every streamer on the planet to push it yesterday to get this peak of 340k viewers and lost 90% of those viewers in a matter of hours. There is zero interest in this game other than people wanting to watch a car crash. This was prime Saturday hours, btw.
No streamer is going to play this game after the sponsorship if their audience doesn't watch, that's just a fact. And without "influencers" this game has no one to prop it up. Bungie is cooked.
Tomorrow
Member
for whatever it's worth, i played the game and enjoyed it but uninstalled it because i'd rather just wait for launch. i read the progress is wiped. don't wanna dump hours into it and start again next week.
maybe wait until the game goes on sale first. i honestly don't get the hate for the game. maybe it won't be a huge hit or financial success but i doubt it'll get shut down lol.
i played the shit out of Destiny 1 + 2 and think i'll put way more time into Marathon. it ticks pretty much every box for me.
maybe wait until the game goes on sale first. i honestly don't get the hate for the game. maybe it won't be a huge hit or financial success but i doubt it'll get shut down lol.
i played the shit out of Destiny 1 + 2 and think i'll put way more time into Marathon. it ticks pretty much every box for me.
ChuckeRearmed
Member
I guess in the end it was not a marathon, but a sprint.
RafterXL
Member
Do tell, brother. Let's see a list of these "massively" successful games.
coachmcguirk91
Member
Helldivers 2, Rainbow 6 Siege, Diablo 4, Forza Horizon 5, Gran Turismo
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Game has obviously an audience that likes it with 70-85k people that are sticking to it during nights concurrently and this is just Steam.
They need to continue to work and improve it and add new contents quickly so there's a better word of mouth while the hate crowd gets bored and find another target.
They need to continue to work and improve it and add new contents quickly so there's a better word of mouth while the hate crowd gets bored and find another target.
KyoZz
Tag, you're it.
You realize that all of those had massive audience when they released... right?
You don't actually take the number Helldivers 2 is pushing RIGHT NOW to make that comparaison. Right...?
Please tell me you did not do that.
RafterXL
Member
Are you being intentionally dumb? Helldivers, RB6, Diablo 4 all had huge Twitch numbers. Forza and Gran Turismo aren't GaaS and it's hilarious that with this ton of massively successful games you had to stretch to find two racing games, one of which isn't even a PC game...lol.
coachmcguirk91
Member
Marathon hasn't released... You are complaining about a game that has a set amount of content within the beta
And outside the occasional major update, for a day or two, all those games have low streaming numbers and always have
And outside the occasional major update, for a day or two, all those games have low streaming numbers and always have
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SmokSmog
Member
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Fake
Member
Marathon is a free beta. The game when release will cost money.
I know you leave this very important part out of this argument, but there is.
asdasdasdbb
Member
I don't see the point of watching streamers play a Free Demo, btw.
KaiserBecks
Member
They play Marathon so you don't have to.
yurinka
Member
Updated Marathon vs Arc Raiders (October 17-19, 2025) pre-release server slam free weekend comparision regarding:
Arc Raiders
D2 and (still we don't have the full data) D3 retention seems way better. In GaaS this, combined with the great numbers in the first day indicates good enough main concept, gameplay, visuals, etc to get people into the game, but that (ignoring RE Requiem) D1 drop normally indicates that tweaks / improvements are needed regarding onboarding, tutorial and first matches, the first day experience to increase the engagement of future new players.
Twitch Marathon data for the last 3 days
Marathon so far had 2 peaks of 300K+ peak and average viewers. Arc Raiders had instead peaks of aprox 225K, 150K and 100K. Marathon is performing better here.
Arc Raiders Twitch data for its server slam (October 17-19, 2025) month
Google web searches Arc Raiders (red) vs Marathon (blue)
Here you should compare the start point of the red line (Arc Raiders server slam's Satuday) vs the end short period in the very end of the blue line (Marathon server slam's Saturday). They are pretty much the same.
Youtube searches Arc Raiders (red) vs Marathon (blue)
Here you should compare the start point of the red line (Arc Raiders server slam's Satuday) vs the end short period in the very end of the blue line (Marathon server slam's Saturday). They are pretty much the same.
- Steam CCU
- Twitch viewship
- Google searches
- Youtube searches
Arc Raiders
- Friday October 17, 2025: 189,668
- Saturday October 18, 2025: 185,137
- Sunday October 19, 2025: 148,225
- Thursday February 26, 2026: 143,621
- Friday February 27, 2026: 84,373
- Saturday February 28, 2026: 76,437
- Friday March 1, 2026: TBD
D2 and (still we don't have the full data) D3 retention seems way better. In GaaS this, combined with the great numbers in the first day indicates good enough main concept, gameplay, visuals, etc to get people into the game, but that (ignoring RE Requiem) D1 drop normally indicates that tweaks / improvements are needed regarding onboarding, tutorial and first matches, the first day experience to increase the engagement of future new players.
Twitch Marathon data for the last 3 days
Marathon so far had 2 peaks of 300K+ peak and average viewers. Arc Raiders had instead peaks of aprox 225K, 150K and 100K. Marathon is performing better here.
Arc Raiders Twitch data for its server slam (October 17-19, 2025) month
Google web searches Arc Raiders (red) vs Marathon (blue)
Here you should compare the start point of the red line (Arc Raiders server slam's Satuday) vs the end short period in the very end of the blue line (Marathon server slam's Saturday). They are pretty much the same.
Youtube searches Arc Raiders (red) vs Marathon (blue)
Here you should compare the start point of the red line (Arc Raiders server slam's Satuday) vs the end short period in the very end of the blue line (Marathon server slam's Saturday). They are pretty much the same.
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Tiolazo
Member
minus the K
coachmcguirk91
Member
Battlefield 6 beta was free and had a peak of 500k. Battlefield 6(70$ game) on launch day had a peak of 750k. It is very common for games to release with higher player counts than what their beta numbers were
Also, Marathon beta is competing with RE9, one of the biggest titles of the year
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