Strengthens Critical Reception for High-Profile Extraction Shooter

Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment partnered with UberStrategist to support PR for Marathon, Bungie’s new extraction shooter and one of the studio’s most high-profile releases since Destiny. Following several years of supporting Destiny 2, our team expanded into English-language global territories to help guide the game’s launch campaign and establish long-term visibility for the new live service franchise.

The client’s goal for our four-month campaign was to generate significant press coverage, secure strong review support, and position Marathon for long-term success in a competitive market. The campaign faced several challenges prior to launch, including skepticism following the game’s alpha playtest, broader live service fatigue, and comparisons to established extraction shooters such as Arc Raiders.

UberStrategist worked closely with Bungie and PlayStation teams to identify priority media across English-language territories for key campaign beats, including reviews, interviews, guided gameplay sessions, and merchandise seeding. We relied heavily on our established press relationships to match opportunities with journalists most likely to engage thoughtfully with the game and its niche genre.

Our team also immersed itself in ongoing community and media conversations surrounding Marathon to monitor sentiment and identify emerging discussion points. This allowed us to provide Bungie and PlayStation with timely feedback while helping the press better understand the game’s core strengths, progression systems, and long-term vision.

The campaign secured substantial positive coverage across gaming, entertainment, and lifestyle outlets, including Space.com, NME, Kotaku, Men’s Journal, PC Gamer, GameSpot, GamesRadar+, Game Informer, and Comicbook. Coverage surrounding the launch and review cycle helped establish Marathon as one of the most discussed multiplayer releases of the period.

During the campaign, sentimentaround Marathon shifted significantly from concerns following the alpha playtest to substantially stronger critical and editorial reception, and Marathon became one of March’s best-selling games in the US. The campaign also helped build long-term relationships with key editors and creators who continue to engage with and cover the game following its release.