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[cormack12]

Source: https://thegamepost.com/bungie-marathon-longest-playtest-30-days-500-reward/

Bungie has started inviting select players to a month-long Marathon user research study starting next month.
Yesterday, select players received a new email from Bungie titled "Marathon 30-Day User Research Study – You're Invited." The invite outlines a fully remote playtest that runs for 30 consecutive days, from Monday, September 8, through Tuesday, October 7, 2025 (weekends included).

Participants are "required" to play for at least one hour per day during the scheduled windows: 3 to 7 PM PT on weekdays and 2 to 8 PM PT on weekends. The message also notes that recipients were contacted because they'd previously expressed interest in future research opportunities.

In addition to gameplay, Bungie will also be collecting feedback through a short daily survey and a weekly survey. As a thank-you, players who complete the entire 30-day study will receive a $500 gift card of their choice;

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I expect that reward be extended post-release. We gotta pump up those CCU figures.

 

[Tobimacoss]

Only "Select Players" received invite.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

$500 to beta test Marathon?

 

[MiguelItUp]

This feels.... oddly desperate, lol. Honestly, I feel pretty bad for them, because I think the issue revolves around the game's structure, mechanics, and/or lack there of. I'm not sure any amount of feedback or input from players could help this project. I think the damage has already been done, and so many people just don't like the formula. Or think it's "fine", not unique enough, etc.

Much like Concord, it wasn't a bad game, it played well. But it wasn't unique enough from everything else that already existed and, well, potentially did everything it attempted to do, but better. The open tests were not well populated. Just like Marathon, and that says a lot.

Your game should be able to speak for itself, ESPECIALLY if you're a well known developer. If it doesn't, there's an issue.

 

[Sethbacca]

If you're having to pay people to participate in your beta test, it's probably a bad sign for the product.

 

[kapshin]

Why is a clinical trial involved?

 

[Germuso]

Medieval torture.

 

[KyoZz]

If you're having to pay people to participate in your beta test, it's probably a bad sign for the product.

This is totally normal, it's even pretty low honestly. I got $400 on gifcard for playtesting Alan Wake II 2 months before it's release, and only for a week. Also got a nice package sent to my home with stuff from the game, all taken care by Remedy.

So yeah, $500 is not that great.

 

[Sethbacca]

This is totally normal, it's even pretty low honestly. I got $400 on gifcard for playtesting Alan Wake II 2 months before it's release, and only for a week. Also got a nice package sent to my home with stuff from the game, all taken care by Remedy.

So yeah, $500 is not that great.

I guess I didn't realize that was much of a thing. I know studios have their own internal testers but I figured betas are usually invite only freebies.

 

[jshackles]

Why is a clinical trial involved?

They're preparing to put a fist in everyone's ass. Things like that need FDA approval.

 

[tanners]

They least needed $500k to convince me this is actually good

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I believe in Marathon.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

More of sprint to the dumpster

 

[delishcaek]

This is how you do it. You invite a bunch of yes-man and pretend everything is fine because the paid players loved the game during testing. Genius.

 

[ahtlas7]

I'll take $500 but not to play Marathon.

 

[Magic Carpet]

$500 payable upon favorable review?

 

[Loomy]

"Things they should have done over a year ago" for $500, Alex

 

[ahtlas7]

I believe in Marathon.

Norman Rockwell wouldn't.

 

[Hookshot]

So this is why games cost so much to make these days.

 

[Vlodril]

If you're having to pay people to participate in your beta test, it's probably a bad sign for the product.

How do you think q&a works usually?

 

[KyoZz]

I guess I didn't realize that was much of a thing. I know studios have their own internal testers but I figured betas are usually invite only freebies.

They need the opinion of actual gamers and not just friends and family, so they use a private Discord with the developers, a camera is required and they also monitor your keyboard input to prevent screenshots and/or recordings (with Parsec, which you use to play remotely anyway). Since you're giving your time "for free" to these studios, it's quite common for them to offer compensation. Remedy is top notch with the rewards and they're super friendly, Ubisoft is a little less rewarding (no physical items and less money with gift cards), and EA is just bad with only one game to choose from a list (at least from what I've tested).

Gift cards are the easiest solution because they don't need to be declared and work well for everyone. You can spend them on Amazon, Steam, PS Store, etc. and even at the supermarket.

 

[Roman Empire]

$500 to endure 30 days of suffering? It ain't it, chief.

 

[Saber]

Bungie desperately giving $500 be like

 

[Ishma3L]

Why is a clinical trial involved?

Because there must be something clearly wrong with people if they don't find Bungie's next AAAAAAAAAA game appealing.

 

[Fake]

This must be the worst phase of Playstation ever to date.

I can't even imagine how much money Sony spend in this shit willing to give players money.

They really don't want this game to fail like Concord, with is telling us a colossal red flag.

What a huge catastrophe.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Crazy needing to pay people.

I remember my buddy who ran a game site during the 360 era simply write to R* asking if they had any swag to give away to small sites. And he got a box with a free copy of GTA, and a pile of trinkets. He never received any kind of note saying you had to review it or give it a good review or any pressure cooker terms.

It was simply.... here you go and have fun.

 

[bighugeguns]

I think that's cool, it's worth saving for the IP alone, the game's trailer is burnt into my brain, shitloads potential.

 

[Bry0]

It's really not that unusual to incentivize something like this, especially when there are playtime and hour block requirements. Is essentially work.

 

[Rush2112]

They're asking their fans to play the game so they can tell us how amazing it is

 

[pqueue]

https://media.tenor.com/b22QPNzSAZ0AAAAM/jeb-bush.gif

 

[DAHGAMING]

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It's going to be a lot of free Q&A work for Bungie because how many people are going to do the full 30 day schedule of playtesting for $500. I bet tons of people dont complete it.

As per the terms you get the $500 at the end after you complete the requirements.

 

[Arsic]

I call bull shit. I've yet to get a fucking invite and I've got more time in D1 &D2 than I care to admit.

These guys invited 100 people tops ever to this. And it's all dick riding cheating streamers like DrLupo.

They have no real feedback. It's an echo chamber of downs

 

[Tobimacoss]

Is this the birth of a new genre when F2P games pay you to play?

Paid-to-Play

 

[Connificent]

 

[adamsapple]

They sound incredibly desperate.

 

[Killer8]

"I said we fail early and cheaply and now I hear you're handing out $500 gift cards? Bungie, you stupid bitch."

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

oh boy. that's reverse Concord

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I'll sign up, sign in once per day and just put the controller and get rekt. Pay me bitch

 

[Punished Miku]

No one can ever make fun of Xbox ambassadors ever again. All they got is socks, not $500 a month lol.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Crazy needing to pay people.

I remember my buddy who ran a game site during the 360 era simply write to R* asking if they had any swag to give away to small sites. And he got a box with a free copy of GTA, and a pile of trinkets. He never received any kind of note saying you had to review it or give it a good review or any pressure cooker terms.

It was simply.... here you go and have fun.

This...has been standard industry practice for 30+ years now. QA departments and playtesting have been compensated for decades.

This one is slightly unique in that it's clearly a stress test on Marathons progression system.

 

[Ar¢tos]

500$?
I'm cheap, but I'm not that cheap!

Minimum 5000$ to endure 1 month of that crap!

 

[Loomy]

Some of you missed out on the good old days of being payed to test out random games. Especially mobile games.

 

[Bry0]

Some of you missed out on the good old days of being payed to test out random games. Especially mobile games.

I got into it through gaf. Eventually got me an industry job. lol

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Grim.

 

[drotahorror]

The first Get-Paid2Play, Buy2Play game. So innovative.

 

[Kacho]

This is like reverse bribing

 

[Fake]

"I said we fail early and cheaply and now I hear you're handing out $500 gift cards? Bungie, you stupid bitch."

'GaaS failing is a good thing. We can learn alot with a bunch of failures. BTW, take this $500 gift card and leave my wife's boyfriend alone.

 

[Loomy]

I got into it through gaf. Eventually got me an industry job. lol

That's cool to hear.