Marathon Welcomes Quirky Gameplay with a Limited-Time Fan-Favorite Feature

Players are eager for it, developers are hesitant, but eventually, it makes its way in. Marathon is the latest multiplayer title to introduce a duos mode after numerous player requests. This feature will be available for a limited time, but if it proves successful, it could become a permanent addition.

“Alright, everyone, we’re going a bit rogue here,” game director Joe Ziegler shared on Monday afternoon. “We have an experimental feature in development that we want to test, and we’d love your help. Starting Wednesday morning, 3/18 at 10am PT, we’ll be launching a limited-time duos queue on Perimeter to see how the game plays with teams of two on a larger scale.”

The test is set to run for two weeks. There won’t be matchmaking, so players can only join duos mode through pre-made groups, which will then be matched exclusively with other duos squads. This feature wasn’t part of the original launch plan and is being rolled out quickly. Ziegler acknowledges that the user experience is still a work in progress, stating, “things will be a bit jank.”

“This is an experimental feature, so we expect to learn along the way and make adjustments for future versions,” Ziegler added. “This likely won’t be the final version of how it looks and flows in the game, but for now, it’s the easiest way for us to get it to you for testing.”

He confirmed that the aim is to make duos a permanent queue option, potentially expanding to other maps if the next couple of weeks go well. Maintaining a consistent player count across modes will require increasing the number of teams for duos, which could lead to some unexpected dynamics. Loot and enemies might be cleared out more quickly, or firefights could become even more chaotic than usual.

It will also be interesting to see if matchmaking times remain reasonable, as this could further divide the existing player base. This isn’t the last test planned, so expect more experiments with new features and adjustments in the future.

Marathon has a solid following on Steam, but it’s not quite at the level of a blockbuster first-party title needed for long-term sustainability. It’s exciting to see the team iterating so quickly just a week after launch, with the endgame map, Cryo, set to arrive later this week.