Battle Pass
Marathon launch sees sharp player drop amid bugs, monetization criticism
Raportoinut AI AI:n luoma kuva
One day after Bungie's sci-fi extraction shooter Marathon launched on March 5, 2026, Steam concurrent players peaked near 90,000 but fell over 50% within 24 hours, fueling community concerns. Criticism targeted the $10 premium battle pass and store prices, alongside day-one exploits and delays, though artist Fern 'Antireal' Hook is now credited.
Epic Games announced on March 10 that it will increase prices for V-Bucks, Fortnite's premium currency, effective March 19, to help cover rising operational costs. The company is also adjusting battle pass prices and subscriber rewards, despite reporting $6.21 billion in gross revenue last year. These changes apply across platforms, with some offsets like cashback incentives.