Bungie Marathon News

Marathon's
Story
Page

since 1995

marathon.bungie.org/story

Marathon's
Story
Page

since 2019

marathon.bungie.org/story

Saturday June 7, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #745.

They're back!

And they are asking the hard questions.

Where is the ~~Compiler~~ Furry in Marathon?

Companion Feline by maxillac on Fur Affinity. April 2025.
The fur artist known as maxillac writes:

This cat was on screen for like 40 seconds total. Internet, I need more of this cat right now.

Marathon Devs stay silent on the subject of a Furry Marathon Hero.

But Marketing know that if your game/movie doesn't cater for furries then it is not reaching its widest marketing audience.

Just look at the success of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Runner by ChipXP on Fur Affinity. June 2024.
I mean it's not Rocket science.

With ten million furries in North America alone, if one tenth of one tenth buy Marathon how many copies will be sold?

Marathon Devs stay silent... while working that one out.

And it's not like there isn't enough inspiration out there.

Runner Eliminated by SiameseGeese on Fur Affinity. May 2025.
If the UESC can have Mechs why can't they have Furries?

And Furries can look just as cool as Glitch or Void.

Marathon Runner by pmd-stardust on tumblr. April 17, 2025.
Furry Hero in Marathon. When?

Furries want to know.

Friday June 6, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #744.

It's sketchy Friday!

That day of the week we don't do drama we do sketches.

Have sketchbook, will sketch.

Jude writes: Sketches during class.

Sketches during class by Jude on the Official Marathon Discord. April 10, 2025.

Sketches during class by Jude on the Official Marathon Discord. April 10, 2025.
Ah... but was it Art class?

Two pencils and a sketchbook.

Victor Manuel gives us a collage of Marathon 2025 sketches.

Marathon sketches by Victor Manuel on Cara. April 10, 2025.

So you are working on an oil rig in the North Sea, what do you in your free time?

Well IX TBONE XI did a Marathon sketch.

Marathon sketch by IX TBONE XI on the Official Marathon Discord. April 4, 2025.
TBONE writes:

I only have 1 pencil, 1 pen and 1 marker pen. Hope you like it.

Studying Marathon.

JerkyBaryonyx has been studying and sketching the Marathon style. Like you do.

Marathon sketches by JerkyBaryonyx on the Official Marathon Discord. April 18, 2025.
And it's clearly paying off.

Marathon sketches by JerkyBaryonyx on the Official Marathon Discord. April 18, 2025.

Last up.

wazanim gives up us Glitch looking rather sad. Perhaps she lost her lucky charm... again!

Glitch sketch by wazanim on the Official Marathon Discord. April 20, 2025.
Hard to describe this as a sketch as it looks like a final piece of art but since it's in a sketchbook it fits today's sketchbook theme.

Happy sketchy Friday.

Stay sketchy.

Thursday June 5, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #743.

I met an artist from an antique land,
Who said "Distress".

Void by WickedPan (@wicked-pan) on tumblr. April 23, 2025.
Sometimes I come across a piece of Marathon art that makes me look not once, not twice, but thrice! It makes me go... WTF and stare!

This is such a piece and it is by WickedPan (@wicked-pan) on tumblr.

Now before you write in telling me "stay off tumblr man, those people on there will will freak you out"... WickedPan is also on Instagram and he posted a video of his work.

It's a time-lapse of his artwork set to the song "Distress" by ULTRA SUNN.

Void time-lapse by WickedPan on Instagram April 23, 2025
And now I see what could not be seen.

The use of time-lapse art videos are all the rage.

Back in the day it was called... "demonstrate your workings".

Here's another time-lapse video of Void, this one is by Just OG North (@just-og-north) on tumblr.

It's set to the song "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant.

Void time-lapse by Just OG North on tumblr April 21, 2025
Here's a poster version of his Void artwork.

Void by Just OG North on tumblr. April 21, 2025.
The day the music died.

Lesson of the day.

There is always a Thief waiting to make a quick score.

Wednesday June 4, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #742.

I spy with my little eye something beginning with... C

Compiler in Marathon by Ivan Martinez on Artstation.

Marathon Compiler by Ivan Martinez on Artstation. May 2025.

Ivan Martinez is a Concept Artist at Terraform Studios. Their tag line is... We Build Worlds.

We featured some of Ivan's earlier Marathon artwork back on September 15, 2023.

Here's a piece to remind you.

Marathon Runner (IVA_P009) by Ivan Martinez on ArtStation. 2023.

As we prepare to board the UESC Marathon in Marathon 2025 what will be see?

Well Archus-Desun on DeviantArt gives us a...

...Glimpse of the Future from the Past.

Glimpse of the Future from the Past by Archus-Desun on DeviantArt. May 29, 2025.
The conversation goes something like this.

Runner 1:  What's wrong with him?

Runner 2:  I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with him!

Runner 1:  No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.

Runner 2:  Look, matey, I know a dead cyborg when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Runner 1:  No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable cyborg, the Mjolnir Recon, idn'it, ay? Beautiful armor!

Runner 2:  The armor don't enter into it. He's stone dead.

Is this the end of Mjolnir Recon 54?

Tuesday June 3, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #741.

Data Mining.

The search for the elusive Compiler in Marathon.

Compiler Mining mashup using assets stolen from Akella and AlexB207. June 3, 2025.

Bungie fans have been data mining game assets since 1993.

The earliest extant record of data mining is in the Pathways in Darkness demo A1 and later the full game where a wealth of unused dialog was unearthed, including unseen artifacts and hostile entities.

A year later the leaked Marathon betas in October and in November were extensively mined revealing unused maps and aliens, and a story about the mission to Tau Ceti very different from the truth.

The full game suffered the same fate. Indeed without data mining the Marathon's Story page would probably never have been created.

Back in 90s I called it Virtual Archaeology. A gentler term.

Fast forward to 21th century and nothing has really changed other than the size and complexity of a game's assets and the sophistication of the mining tools designed to strip these assets.

Of course you still have to sift through the pay dirt to find the gold.

So where is the Compiler in Marathon?

The Marathon Announcement trailer in May 2023 had a Compiler front and center.

Marathon Announement trailer. May 24, 2023

And the Marathon ViDoc had us in deadly combat with a Compiler.

Marathon ViDoc. May 24, 2023.

Christopher Barrett (Marathon's first game director) even posted concept art of a new look Compiler.

Marathon concept art posted by Christopher Barrett (@oryxeleven) on twitter.com. May 24, 2023.

Fast forward to April 2025 and the Marathon Reveal Cinematic Short gave us an all too brief glimpse of a Compiler as interpreted by directed by Alberto Mielgo.

Marathon Reveal Cinematic Short. April 12, 2025
So where is the Compiler in Marathon?

Even to this day people swear they saw a Complier on the fringes of Dire Marsh.

But we say they've been 'smoking the mold' out back, past the Data Wall.

There is no Compiler in Marathon... yet!

Postscript.

Thanks to Bungie Inc. for 6GBs of overburden left in my PC.

Have shovel, will dig.

Monday June 2, 2025

This Day in Marathon.

Day #740.

Just a few pieces of art to start off the month that caught my attention.

First up...

Jake Myler gives us Void.

Blue Steel or Magnum?

Void by Jake Myler on tumblr. April 16, 2025.
Jake writes:

Drew Void because... well... his cheekbones are insane.

Void be like.

We've featured Jake's Marathon artwork on the Story page back on January 9, 2024.

His hooded Compiler has that NuMarathon feel.

Hooded Compiler by Jake Myler (@jakemyler) on tumblr. January 6, 2024
Jake Myler is a comic book & video game maker living in Seattle, Washigton. He publishes a humorous Destiny-related webcomic entitled Watermelon Exo.

Up next...

squiddskipp gives us MRTHN.

I know who you are...