The Game Awards: Best Multiplayer

Marathon is a recognizable multiplayer title from a studio with a strong history in the genre, which gives it some upside if the game ships on schedule and lands with critics and players. That said, the path from being a prominent upcoming release to actually winning The Game Awards Best Multiplayer is very demanding, because the game must first be officially nominated and then beat out the strongest multiplayer releases of the year. With the current date still months before the nomination process and no recent confirmed momentum provided here, the market is effectively pricing in a fairly optimistic launch-and-success scenario that is far from guaranteed.

The biggest factor weighing against a Yes is timing and eligibility. If Marathon is delayed, receives a quiet launch, or fails to generate enough consensus buzz before nominees are announced, the market resolves to No immediately. Even if it does release, multiplayer awards tend to favor games that combine broad player adoption, strong review consensus, and a durable live-service footprint. Bungie’s pedigree helps, but awards voters typically reward the actual reception of the shipped product rather than expectations built around the studio name.

There is a reasonable case for the game becoming a contender if it launches as a polished, distinctive extraction shooter and quickly becomes one of the year’s headline multiplayer stories. In that best-case path, a high-profile Bungie release could gather enough attention to make the shortlist, especially if the field is weaker than usual. Still, winning is a tougher hurdle than nomination, and the category often ends up favoring games with clearer critical consensus and stronger cross-audience enthusiasm. On balance, the market price implies too much confidence in both release success and awards traction, so I would rate the chance well below one-in-four.