Following a string of controversies, Marathon now has a new Creative Director just months before the game is supposed to launch. However, the last-minute shakeup has many players worried about the game’s overall direction.
Bungie Adds New ‘Marathon’ Creative Director Months Before Launch
Ever since its announcement in May, Marathon has stumbled into one controversy after the next. When the game was first revealed, many fans of Bungie felt divided on the game’s art style. Then, the extraction shooter faced criticism from users who participated in the beta. And finally, there was the Marathon plagiarism scandal, where an independent artist discovered that the shooter had stolen her artwork. These weren’t allegations, by the way—Bungie actually admitted to the theft, blaming it on an ex-employee.
Things got so bad that long-time Bungie fan and Destiny expert Paul Tassi (Forbes) called it “over” for Marathon. So to say the extraction shooter has been in a downward spiral as of late is the understatement of the year. However, fans still holding out hope for Marathon were shocked when it was discovered that the game now has a new Creative Director this close to its launch on September 23, 2025. The changeup was first reported by Marathon Bulletin on Twitter: “Julia Nardin (previously Narrative Director) is now the Creative Director on Bungie’s Marathon. She took on the new role in May 2025.”
The Bungie shakeup was actually verified through Nardin’s official official LinkedIn page. Players reacted to the change on social media with concern. “Replacing the creative director a few months before release is certainly a choice, holy s**t” a user wrote. “This game is going to be a beautiful disaster” another comment exclaimed. One Marathon fan even commented “They need to shelve this game and re-introduce it with a bunch of feedback implemented. Even then, it may not be enough.”
Can The Game Be Saved?
While many players were worried about Marathon getting a new Creative Director this close to launch, not everyone was critical. Some users pointed out that Julia Nardin was the Narrative Director for Destiny 2: The Final Shape. The expansion was well received by both critics and fans of the online shooter. Plus, it’s possible that the new director will only be impacting future content, and not what is available at launch.
According to Marathon Bulletin, the previous Creative Director for Marathon was Steve Cotton. Although it’s not currently clear if the developer has been moved to a new position. Still, shakeups this close to a game’s launch usually hint at development problems. And given the rough months Marathon has just gone through, with one controversy after the next, it’s understandable why some players are concerned about the extraction shooter.
As far as course-correcting Marathon, it seems like the issues with the game run a lot deeper than the recent drama surrounding the project. At its core, many Bungie fans don’t seem to be happy with the game being a “hero shooter” without proper class customization. Since this is a core aspect of the extraction shooter, it’s kind of hard to fix that. It will be on Bungie to really sell the game beyond the genre’s niche audience—which is a tall order, given the spiral Marathon is currently trapped in.
The post ‘Marathon’ Gets A New Creative Director Three Months Before Release and Players Are Panicking appeared first on VICE.
