Marathon Influences Include Ghost In The Shell, Mirror's Edge

At the PlayStation Showcase 2023, Bungie revealed that it is bringing back its 1994 sci-fi shooter game Marathon. With its revival, developers have taken inspiration from a series of other franchises - ranging from Ghost in The Shell, to Mirror's Edge, to Metal Gear Solid, to create the "graphic realism" style the team has chosen.

Marathon's franchise art director, Joseph Cross, shared more information about the inspiration behind the game on his Twitter account.

"On one side it's about a simplified/deconstructed universal design language, strong graphic design and color statements, and limited materials. The other side is about realistic proportions & scale, implied functional & detail, and a generally grounded world," Cross explained. "We're focused on creating a visual 'brand' of science fiction, that (hopefully) feels fresh and stands the test of time."

Marathon Art Style (a short thread). First of all thanks to everyone for all the kind words and enthusiasm for the art style/direction in our announce trailer, it's been amazing to see. This was the result of many talented artists working together, with the support of an amazing pic.twitter.com/ePPi41KA6c

— Joseph Cross (@josephacross) May 30, 2023

"We've come a long way and still have work to do," Cross said. "I can't wait to show you more."

Here's a brief list of inspirations the art director cited:

• Metal Gear Solid 2
• Mirrors Edge
• Aeon Flux
• Ghost in the Shell
• Otomo
• Koji Morimoto
• The Designers Republic
• Chris Cunningham

If you're curious about how the upcoming game will look and play, here's a sneak peek at the trailer displayed at the PlayStation Showcase: