First-person shooters are some of the most popular video games around. The format has brought the world titanic esports titles including Counter-Strike, Fortnite, Apex Legends and VALORANT, allowing anyone to enjoy tactical combat from the comfort of their setup.
It is also an intensely saturated market, and some titles don’t make the cut — Firewalk Studios’ 2024 release, Concord, famously became one of the biggest flops in gaming history, and Shroud’s Spectre Divide dwindled after its pre-launch hype.
In 2024, Bungie revealed it was joining the FPS battle with a new title called Marathon. Marathon’s gameplay trailer officially dropped on April 12 2025, earning over 240,000 views in only 5 hours. However, the release also received significant criticism: gamers have since compared Marathon to Concord in droves, even calling the title ‘Concord 2.’ Let’s explore what users are saying and how similar the two titles may be — does Marathon have a shot against the gaming greats, or is it about to get pwned?
What is Concord?
‘Concord’ is widely regarded as the worst flop in game development history. The title was a hero FPS developed by indie group Firewalk Studios, who promised intense competition in a unique sci-fi atmosphere. Concord was highly anticipated, and the esports world was watching to see whether its drop would refresh the industry and live up to player expectations.
Upon launch on August 24 2024, Concord’s failure was unprecedented: the title’s player count dwindled as users became dissatisfied with its awkward gameplay and poor mechanics. Concord would close its doors permanently, shutting down a mere two weeks later on September 6 and refunding all its buyers. It became a meme in the gaming community, with YouTuber and entrepreneur Charlie “MoistCr1TiKal’ White branding it a ‘flop‘ in a video that received two million views. Concord is ultimately considered a cautionary tale, warning developers not to fly too close to the sun — literally, since the game was set in outer space.
Marathon is Not Beating the Concord Allegations
On April 12 2025, development studio Bungie (famous for the Halo and Destiny franchises) released the first gameplay reveal for its upcoming FPS Marathon, which amassed over 240,000 views on YouTube. The video elaborates on the game’s format, how matches will function and what players can expect in upcoming releases. It also ushers in an alpha playtest, which users can join through an application process.
Related Article: How to Join the Marathon Alpha Test – Release Date, Gameplay
While Marathon’s trailer quickly went viral, it may have attracted the wrong attention. Gamers swiftly took to the video’s comment section to converse about its unorthodox graphics and genre, with many even comparing it to Concord. One user, @DmitryCee, joked, “This game looks like it’s going to make a concordillion dollars.” Another netizen named @elevenfly took things even further by stating: “Concord 2 looks amazing.”
This ‘Concord 2’ moniker seems to have stuck, as similar content is going viral on other social media platforms. Later in the day, a post on the r/gaming subreddit would appear containing a meme comparing Marathon to Concord. The image called Marathon a “corpo (corporate) shooter” and has since received over 10,000 upvotes. In the caption, original poster u/piggycurrency simply stated, “I wasn’t impressed but idk.”
Concord and Marathon undeniably share several similarities. Most notably, both titles are part of the FPS shooter category and have a bright neon color scheme. They also both feature outer-space settings and include hero classes with unique abilities. In addition, several former Bungie developers were involved in Concord’s production.
However, while Marathon will include plenty of clones, the game itself isn’t one and has distinct differences from Concord. Here’s a quick list:
Reddit user u/teddytwelvetoes also notes in a reply to the viral Marathon meme, “comparing Bungie to “Firewalk Studios” is wild lol.”
Bungie’s gunplay is also notably distinct from Concord and other shooters. The studio is renowned for enabling weapon customization and facilitating aim assist for smoother duels. While it’s impossible to tell if good gunplay can carry Marathon if it lacks a strong structure upon release, it could certainly give the game an edge.
Marathon’s Alpha playtest will not open until April 23 2025, and the game will not go live until September 23. It’s entirely possible that Bungie could make major updates to the game before that point and address major player concerns.
One person who has played Marathon is streamer Benjamin ‘DrLupo’ Lupo, who spoke briefly about it while live. Lupo revealed he had been involved in Marathon’s playtesting for several years and indicated the game had potential. He did state he thought the game “could be better than what it is right now,” but confirmed testers were offering feedback to Bungie.
Related Article: DrLupo Says Bungie’s New FPS Marathon Has Potential – “It’s Good Dude”
Regardless of similarities to Concord, the title is entering an extremely saturated market with heavy competition. Esports icon Shroud’s game Spectre Divide similarly prioritized gunplay experience, but did not survive against competitors including VALORANT, Counter-Strike and Apex Legends. While many gamers are reserving their judgment until a full release, Marathon’s public perception (and fate) currently hangs in a precarious balance.
