Sony has a huge problem with the reality of its own infrastructure. Anyone who tried to snag a supposed bargain during the free trial of the shooter "Marathon" on the PlayStation Store this week ended up straight in digital hell.
What happened? For €14,99, the product page promised an upgrade to the "Deluxe Edition." The text suggested purchasing the full-price title. What was delivered: a worthless cosmetic expansion for a game that the customer can no longer even launch after the trial week. A flaw so fundamental that it could almost be mistaken for a feature.
Bungie reacted swiftly and is now, out of necessity, giving away the full version to all affected players to extinguish the PR disaster. And this for a game that currently desperately needs every dollar. This isn't an act of charity, but rather a desperate attempt at damage control. Essentially, it's a brilliant business move to attract users: instead of profiting from "Marathon," Sony is ultimately contributing €45 out of its own pocket for every affected customer.
After the historic debacle surrounding "Concord," parent company Sony cannot afford any more headlines about disgruntled consumers being ripped off in its own store.Marathon“ is already suffering from acute anemia, too few players, and is considered a barometer for the Survival of the studioEvery license given away is ultimately just the price paid for not having to address a bigger problem.
The illusion of ownership in the digital void
The real disaster lies buried deeper in the technical foundation of the PlayStation Network. The store's software architecture has been an uncontrolled software cancer since the PS3 era. As soon as a user activates a demo, beta, or title via the PlayStation Plus subscription service, the system blocks all logic and overwrites licenses at will.
The PlayStation Store Sony registers the temporary license as permanent ownership, often making a regular purchase of the same software impossible. In the case of "The Dark Pictures" alone, it took several years to resolve the issue. This wasn't because Sony actively fixed the problem, but because the license simply expired in the background. It's a bit like someone who doesn't repair water damage but waits for the house to be demolished.
Instead of properly addressing the underlying problems, some publishers are relying on increasingly complex product and upgrade models. Long-time buyers of the basic version, in particular, quickly feel they end up paying more than new customers. Sony watches as other platforms have been solving the edition management problem for years with just two lines of code and dynamic discounts. In Tokyo, however, they've been managing the digital scarcity for years.
Outsourcing frustration
The absolute low point of this development is found in customer service. Anyone demanding a refund for a misleading shop description now faces automated chatbots and a rigid policy that interprets every download as a final waiver of consumer rights. Support has long since been ruined by over-optimization. Sony uses artificial barriers to shift the costs of its own mistakes onto the end consumer.
This behavior is arrogant and short-sighted. The consequences won't be legal action, but rather a gradual loss of relevance and ever-increasing user frustration. When the digital shopping experience sinks to the level of a shady key reseller, the PlayStation Store loses its raison d'être as a safe haven. The fact that this software-based house of cards is supposed to be the central pillar of Sony's future strategy is not without a certain degree of irony.
The "Marathon" debacle demonstrates that the PS5 platform suffers from its own software infrastructure. Sony has total control over the ecosystem but refuses to take responsibility for its functionality. When a faulty store description is the only way to purchase a struggling live-service product at a reasonable price, the system is doomed. Even before the game is installed, the piecemeal distribution of content that would previously have been included as standard practice begins.
Important notes: The views expressed in this article are the personal opinion of the author. They do not necessarily reflect everyone's point of view – and are intended to stimulate discussion.
Marathon ❤️
I tried the trial version. I wouldn't pay €5 for the game.
I wouldn't even want a marathon if it were free.
Paolo Pinkel is a great game…. you should refrain from criticizing something you don't know if you haven't played it yourself. 👌
Cypress Lockhart: What few people understand:
The game may be good, but it's only attractive to a small minority, which is why it's doing so poorly in terms of player count and is far from being profitable.
I played it, Knight Lockhart…
Paolo Pinkel, and? Can you also tell me what's wrong with it besides the well-known art style argument?
Cifer Lockhart hasn't played it. I've seen him complaining about the game on at least three different gaming websites.
Probably one of those people who wanted Destiny to be milked even more badly than it already is.
Nathaniel Ay word brother✌️
But that's just Facebook and its wannabe experts 😅
Nathaniel Ay oh god… the fanboy… yes, I've read your posts on several gaming sites, unfortunately it was just mindless drivel from you!
Paolo Pinkel and you're completely silent, you talk about playing but can't name anything... embarrassing 😅
Knight Lockhart's art style is the best thing about Marathon, especially considering it's from Bungie. It also plays great; the gunplay, like in Destiny, is better than almost any other game—they really know how to do that. But that's about it. Nobody wants extraction shooters and live service games anymore. Sure, you can have fun with them for a while, but you lose interest just as quickly. In the end, the fanbase dwindles, and we'll soon reach the point where it becomes free-to-play so that anyone will actually play it.
Paolo Pinkel, wow... what a statement... good gunplay, but nobody likes exfile shooters... yeah, you really know your stuff about the game 😅 Now everyone knows you've never played it, because everyone and their brother knows about the gunplay if they know Bungie 😅
And the whole exfil thing is nonsense. Arc Raiders has shown that a lot of people are into exfil shooters, but that's also because it's very casual and mostly played by casuals. More hardcore exfil shooters appeal to a smaller segment of the fanbase, that's true, but it doesn't mean nobody's into them.
Especially since you're talking about the opinions of people who barely know anything about gaming, and their opinions aren't worth taking seriously anyway; the Arc Raiders community illustrates this very well. And unfortunately, casual gamers, due to their sheer numbers, dominate the gaming market.
Daniel Scheitler's criticism is also due to the poor advertising, because anyone who likes these kinds of shooters will like it, believe me 😉
Cifer Lockhart, I couldn't care less what you think. Do you think you're God or something? Then go ahead and play that live service crap and make sure the thing at least survives the summer. 🤣
Cifer Lockhart “…anyone who likes shooters like this will like it…”
That's clear, but you also have to be realistic: it's a minority, as you can see from the player numbers.
Daniel Scheitler, yeah, I have nothing against that, absolutely correct… like I said, this type of shooter only deserves a small community anyway, apart from Arc Raiders. So it's a shame that Marathon gets such hate from some people, you can see it with this guy here, he's completely in rage mode 😅
Paolo Pinkel, did you hit a nerve? 😅
I consider myself pretty average, the thing is... you're just a little... to use IFA's words... "undercomplex," but it's nice that you think of me as some kind of deity just because I like the game... hmmmmmmmmmm call me "God-King Ciferinio" 😘❤️✌️
Cifer Lockhart: The main problem will probably be that Marathon cannot survive in the long term like this.
It is far from even recouping its costs, and the servers etc. are also additional ongoing expenses.
Realistically speaking, Marathon is currently being kept alive in the hope that things will somehow improve.
Daniel Scheitler, that's only "part" of the problem. Destiny 2 is over, no prospect of a 3, Sony lost a ton of money to Bungie, the Bungie boss was more interested in "treating himself" than "investing," and I don't even want to think about the working conditions there.
After the takeover, Sony itself said it was a disaster how the company was being run.
I wouldn't be surprised if Sony eventually gives up on Bungie and people spread out to other studios or similar. A Destiny 3 might help if it were ever good, but when? In 3-4 years? By then, Bungie will be finished. I completely agree with you; a Marshall can't sustain Bungie.
Cifer Lockhart isn't even average... you only have to look at your PSN profile... you haven't really accomplished anything in any game. But that's okay... have fun 😎
Paolo Pinkel, uh, you define yourself and your personality through PS trophies, what a go-getter! Mom must be so proud of you and your platinum trophies 🤣👌
Cifer Lockhart: Yes, I agree with you there.
The problem started with Destiny 2; the last DLCs were more bad than good.
With Destiny, Sony had exactly what they always wanted:
A live service/multiplayer game that generates ongoing revenue (Xbox is clearly in a better position here with well-running games like Diablo, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Overwatch, etc.).
Sony was not entirely blameless in the game's downfall; they let Bungie do as they pleased for too long, hoping/trusting that it would somehow turn out alright.
The decision to put all their eggs in one basket with the poorly performing Marathon and turn their backs on the remaining Destiny fan base was simply another bad decision.
Unfortunately, Sony hasn't really achieved anything in the multiplayer/live service area; it has only cost them huge amounts of money so far.
Daniel Scheitler: Wow, yeah, that's a criticism I have of Sony; other companies would have cut Bungie out of business long ago. 😅
I find it really sad because I've actually been a Destiny fan since day 1, I loved the lore and we had an awesome community, a good clan that raided regularly, etc. But like you said, with Destiny 2 it went downhill. 😪
I've never actually played Destiny myself, but you still notice how it went downhill 🙂
Paolo Pinkel is really nice 👍
I understand why every company dreams of the next Fortnite. A successful live-service game prints money for years. Very few actually manage that. You see these projects and immediately get the feeling that they're unlikely to work. Nevertheless, hundreds of millions are invested and they see it through to the end. That's actually one of the points where I, as a long-time PlayStation user, have to clearly criticize Sony. Instead of building on their greatest strengths – strong single-player games and established brands – they're chasing a trend that countless other studios have already failed at.
Lucien Noctus, I see it the same way. So much money, time, and good studios wasted on this wishful thinking. Especially since Sony has staked everything on this instead of listening to what the community wants.