Removing Proximity Chat from ‘Marathon’ Won’t Stop the Toxic Nature of an Extraction Shooter, It’ll Just Make It Less Engaging

Removing Proximity Chat from ‘Marathon’ Won’t Stop the Toxic Nature of an Extraction Shooter, It’ll Just Make It Less Engaging

One of my first experiences with proximity voice chat was, coincidentally, in Bungie’s Halo 2. Listening to brief moments of unfettered rage after taking a shotgun to your enemy’s back is an unrivaled experience. But, in reality, proximity chat has always been so much more than a source of laughter and shit talking. Yes, even in a competitive PvP setting! Which makes Bungie’s decision to exclude the feature from Marathon all the more head-scratc…

Bungie Says No Proximity Chat For 'Marathon' Revival In Order To Create "A Safe Space" For Players

Glitch (Erica Lindbeck) cares little for the debriefing process. in Marathon (2025), Bungie In one of the surest signs that ‘the times, they are a-changin‘, where once their Halo franchise defined the cultural memory of ‘s–t talking in online gaming lobbies’, Bungie’s upcoming Marathon will lack any sort of ‘proximity chat’ feature in order to make the multiplayer revival of their long-dormant series more inviting to general players. Glitch (Eri…

As anyone who has played a game of Search and Destroy in Call of Duty will know, voice chat in online games can be incredibly toxic. In fact, text chat may also be so, but at least you won’t get blown up by a man who doubles your age by downloading his work stress with you. It seems that the toxicity of proximity chat is simply too much to risk putting it in some modern shooters. Marathon, for example, is giving up the idea, as long as there is …

Marathon Won't Have Proximity Chat Because of Toxicity Concerns

Wait, hasn't the "mute" button been present in almost every multiplayer game ever made?

Bungie Reveals Why Marathon Won't Have "Toxic" Feature

Bungie’s new game, Marathon, won’t have any kind of proximity chat due to concerns of toxic players. Online gaming is considered a pretty toxic environment, though some see that as part of the appeal. Some players like a space where they can trash talk and have heated conversations with other players. Of course, this isn’t for everyone and some people don’t even entertain it. A lot of people grew up on the toxic lobbies of Halo, Call of Duty, an…

Bungie, creators of Halo and Destiny, officially unveiled the gameplay of their new team extraction shooter: Marathon. During the live broadcast of the Marathon Gameplay Reveal Showcase, developers presented playability at Alpha, explored Tau Ceti IV’s enigmatic and merciless world, and shared details on how to participate in the game’s next closed Alpha game. In addition, Bungie announced that Marathon will be released on September 23, 2025 on …