Marathon Hits Steam’s Top 10 Just Hours After Pre-Orders Open
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Bungie has opened pre-orders for Marathon across all platforms, and despite the mixed reaction to it a few months ago, it seems the developers are turning things around. Just hours after its release date announcement, Marathon has already entered Steam’s top 10 best sellers list in the US.
Marathon Hits Steam’s Top 10
Steam has a dedicated top sellers page on its store, which tracks the top 100 best-selling titles at any given moment. Marathon’s pre-orders opened earlier today, and it’s currently sitting at number 6 on this list in the US and UK regions.
If you switch over to Global, it’s currently at number 12, but I bet it will enter the top 10 soon enough. This positive reaction to the pre-orders didn’t happen overnight.
First, this is a $40 title, not a full-priced $70 AAA game. Just like Helldivers 2 and Arc Raiders, if a game looks interesting enough, people are more willing to pay $40 because it sets certain expectations regarding monetization. If Bungie is asking $40 for a live-service title, it shows confidence that the game will deliver an experience that (hopefully) isn’t entirely driven by a free-to-play model.
Based on the extensive videos and blogs posted by Bungie over the last few weeks, Marathon has undergone major revisions to its gameplay and core systems. Much of this comes from players who participated in closed playtests and provided feedback, which is always a good sign.
Bungie’s response to feedback during their original playtests, combined with general player reception, seems to have shaped their decisions leading up to the pre-orders going live.
Marathon might not be the next Arc Raiders, but it could still perform well enough for Bungie to score another hit. These initial pre-order numbers are likely encouraging for the developers, and I hope the title launches in its best possible shape.
It’s impressive how most people were convinced that this was going to be another Concord situation, but if these early pre-order rankings are anything to go by, Marathon’s future could be bright. While you’re here, make sure to check out the recently released system requirements for it as well.
