THE EXPERIENCE GAP WIDENS
The Steam reviews tell a brutal story about Marathon's matchmaking, and it's getting worse. Players under 30 hours are getting slaughtered. Players over 100 hours can't stop playing. The middle ground barely exists.
"The game feels like a hunting ground for former Apex players with 1,500+ hours," writes a 30-hour reviewer. "You know what keeps Hunt: Showdown enjoyable even after all that time? It has proper matchmaking." That review hit the nail on something Bungie hasn't acknowledged: Marathon doesn't separate skill brackets, it just throws everyone into the same lobby and hopes for the best.
The pattern is stark. Reviews from players with 80+ hours are mostly positive: "Stellar game, atmospheric and immaculate vibes and top notch gun-play, I suck but I don't mind." But sub-30 hour players are fleeing: "No time to explore, Always PVP and full of cheaters, If buying the game now and expecting to play forgett it PPL with 700 + will literally 1 shoot u."
THE VETERAN PROBLEM
Here's what the positive reviews aren't saying: Marathon's retention comes from players who've already survived the learning cliff. The 132-hour player who writes "I cant stop please help" represents Marathon's core audience — extraction addicts who've learned to thrive in the chaos.
But that same chaos is killing new player retention. A 17-hour reviewer captures the frustration: "the only good thing about this rat shooter is its optimization... unfortunately its so toxic that its making me think extraction shooters are for people who play r6 siege." The comparison to Siege is telling — Marathon attracts competitive players who've already mastered high-skill shooters.
Season 2's Open Play Week was supposed to bring fresh blood, but the Steam reviews suggest it mostly exposed the skill gap problem. New players downloaded the free trial, got demolished by veterans, and left negative reviews before uninstalling.
THE MATCHMAKING REALITY
The most damning review comes from a 26-hour player experiencing technical issues: "Liked the game at first, then started getting put in lobbies that felt very off. Huge amounts of lag to where i could not move or do damage while enemy runners could." Whether that's actual lag or just the feeling of being outclassed by superior players, the result is the same — new players think the game is broken.
Meanwhile, the positive reviews reveal Marathon's actual audience. The 96-hour player who says "Marathon is genuinely one of my favorite games on Steam. And yet I die pretty much every run" has learned to enjoy the struggle. The 86-hour player who admits "I suck but I don't mind" has made peace with constant failure.
The 238-hour veteran provides the counterpoint: "IDK what Bungie is thinking. In season one there was a big push for duo. Season 2 brings it out but it's only on one map and queue?" Even hardcore players are frustrated, but their complaints focus on feature decisions, not fundamental game balance.
Reddit's silence during Season 2 makes more sense now. The vocal community that drives Reddit discussion includes both new and veteran players. When the experience gap becomes this wide, there's no shared language for discussing the game. Veterans and newcomers are playing different games entirely.
