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From 1994 to 2026: My Connection to Bungie’s Marathon
 
Bungie’s new game Marathon is scheduled to be released on March 5, 2026. This time it will appear as a modern sci-fi PvP extraction shooter for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). Bungie even ran a “Server Slam” test event from February 26 to March 2 just before the launch.

 

When I saw this news, it reminded me of something from more than 30 years ago.

 

Back in 1994, the original Marathon was released by Bungie Software for the Macintosh. At that time, Bungie was still a relatively small developer, long before it became famous worldwide through Halo and Destiny. The Macintosh was an important gaming platform for them, and Marathon was one of the earliest first-person shooters designed specifically for the Mac.

 

What many people today do not know is that PSPINC was directly involved with Marathon in Japan.

 

At the time, Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. (PSPINC) served as the exclusive Japanese Mac localization and distribution partner for Bungie Software. We localized the Japanese version of Marathon and distributed it in Japan. In other words, if you played Marathon in Japanese on a Macintosh in the 1990s, there is a good chance that version passed through our hands.

 

In those days, the software world was very different. There was no App Store, no Steam, and no easy digital distribution. Localization meant real work: translating manuals, adapting the software for Japanese systems, packaging physical products, and distributing them through retail channels.

 

Looking back, it is interesting to see Marathon returning in 2026 as a completely new game, now designed for modern consoles and online multiplayer environments. The scale of the gaming industry today is dramatically different from the early Macintosh era when we were working with Bungie.

 

For me personally, this news is a reminder of how long we have been part of the software industry. Technologies change, platforms change, and companies grow — but sometimes you see a familiar name appear again decades later.

 

And when it does, it brings back memories.

 

From a small Macintosh FPS in 1994 to a global multi-platform title in 2026 — Marathon has certainly come a long way.

 

https://en.bloguru.com/ken/552866/from-1994-to-2026-my-connection-to