Not a sprint.

Marathon Season 3 and everything that was due to come alongside it has been delayed, including the sci-fi shooter's long-awaited full PvE mode. Bungie's next major update is now launching in December instead, and the famed studio is pivoting away from seasonal updates entirely.

"We previously shared plans for Marathon's next major update to launch on September 22. We know many players were looking forward to it, and we appreciate your patience. We are adjusting our plans to ensure the update meets your expectations," Bungie wrote in a recent blog post. "The content originally planned for September will now arrive as part of our Symbiosis update on December 8."

December's Symbiosis update is promising a new Runner shell, the aforementioned permanent PvE mode, a social space where players can try out weapons together, improvements to the onboarding experience for newcomers, a "refreshed Perimeter zone" and an "experimental" team deathmatch mode.

Rather than a big seasonal feast next week, Marathon players can expect a slightly smaller update on 6 October that'll reset the game's progression and economy, while adding a new Rewards Pass and quality-of-life improvements. Vault Breaker, a different PvE mode that temporarily popped up a few months ago, will also return for a limited time.

From here, Bungie is done with the whole seasonal format, too: "We're also moving away from a strict seasonal schedule. Instead of tying major updates to fixed seasonal deadlines, we're giving the team more flexibility to build, test, and improve features before they are released.

"Since launch, you've told us Marathon needs more depth, more variety, stronger progression, and better reasons to keep playing over the long term. We agree. Addressing that feedback requires us to change both what we're building and how we deliver it," the studio continued.

Bungie's had a tough time both retaining existing Marathon players and courting new ones since the extraction shooter's launch earlier this year. Mass layoffs at the iconic developer - which saw at least 290 jobs cut - likely didn't help matters, either. Here's hoping the Symbiosis update can turn things around.

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