Developer Bungie has posted an outline on their efforts on making sure that players of the extraction shooter Marathon only suffer from their own mistakes or good plays by opponents playing fairly, and not cheaters and hacks.
It’s an interesting read in full, and of course, it doesn’t disclose exactly how some of the security features work to stop bad actors from using the info to their advantage. So the “rebuilt security stack” that works in tandem with BattlEye anti-cheat is simply stated as such. But there are other neat tidbits that should give players some reassurance that the game will, at least on paper, be fair for everyone.
Being an online multiplayer game, Marathon (2026) runs on dedicated servers. But more interestingly, the server has authority in validating client actions. In other words, cheats like teleporting, unlimited ammo, or even damage manipulation which are done by passing proper info to the servers can be detected and be invalidated.
It should not affect the player experience, as player control and action should feel responsive, even if the server needs to adjust the world you’re seeing. Players on a good internet connection shouldn’t get shot while in cover, it is claimed.
Another interesting server-side trick is to have a “fog of war” the enshroud the map to only parts where the player has knowledge of. It’s a way to combat wall hacks and ESP (extra sensory perception) cheats, so these tricks can’t detect other players from far away outside of the “fog of war,” in theory.
Item duplication is also a no-no, but no info how exactly Bungie is safeguarding the loot you keep in the vault.
If you get caught cheating, that’s it. It’s a perma-ban. That’s a RM129 purchase rendered inaccessible with the associated account. No second chances.
Doing all this (plus the collection of telemetry, so Bungie can analyse any reported player if they truly are sus) means that Marathon (2026) is a live service that will one day rendered unplayable should the developer decided to end support.
But at least posts like this give some sense that how and why these dedicated servers are used, and it’s to stop bad actors ruining everyone’s fun.
Marathon, the extraction shooter that pulls lore from the same trilogy of games Bungie developed before their breakout Halo series, will have a “server slam” where everyone can try out the game for free-ish, you’ll need PS Plus or its Xbox equivalent still as it’s not a free-to-play title. You are welcome to the jam starting February 26.
Marathon (2026) launches on March 5 for the PS5, PC (Steam) and Xbox Series X|S.