Marathon: “155 People and Months of Work” – The Director’s Scathing Response to AI Accusations
Marathon is back in the spotlight today for rather curious reasons: Alberto Mielgo, the director of the trailer released last April, had to confirm on Instagram that no, it was not made by AI.
A comment meant to answer “accusations” regarding the use of generative AI. You’ll notice the quotation marks, because despite our research, we can’t find these accusations anywhere, neither on the creator’s Instagram page nor in the YouTube trailer comments. Enough to think the guy is just a bit confused, as PC Gamer rightly noted on the subject.
Alberto Mielgo: A Renowned Artist
Just a small clarification though, Alberto Mielgo isn’t just anyone, and we can only salute developer Bungie‘s choice to call upon him. The man worked on the excellent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Tron: Uprising, but also on an episode of the series Love, Death and Robots. In short, quite a career and a loose tongue:
“Everything you see in this film: the paintings, the animation, the 2D and 3D work, the compositing, and the renders were all done by a huge team — 155 incredible people and hours, days, and even months of work.”
We can only appreciate the director’s clarifications, considering that generative AI is still, let’s remember, quite problematic regarding copyright respect, but also and above all, carries heavy professional consequences for artists.
And this would have undoubtedly been a perfect message if Alberto Mielgo’s stance had been a tad firmer, as he stated he had no opinion on the subject before concluding that his message was edited by ChatGPT. We’ve known more committed creators.
Especially since, to use the words of an ex-Bungie worker: “with every new wave [of layoffs], reliance on outsourcing and AI strengthens“. Implying that management doesn’t see any downside to it (Gamekult).
A Difficult Context for Bungie
If you missed a beat or two, and since it must be pointed out: know that Marathon struggled to convince upon its announcement.
While the Battle Royale niche is drying up, the Extraction Shooters one is essentially not as fertile as in the past either. Between Arc Raiders on one side, and Escape from Tarkov on the other, one could even say it’s no longer so easy for newcomers to find their place in the sun.
To make matters worse, between the development studio’s financial difficulties, reports of employees’ degraded working conditions, and even accusations of plagiarism, things were starting to look grim.
Still, the trailer directed by Alberto Mielgo is absolutely beautiful and Sony fully intends to release Marathon in March 2026. We wish it as much long-term success as Destiny 2, from the same designers.
Scarlet Deng has been dispensing JV advice and recommendations for many years, and her ancestral wisdom is invaluable. Some might be tempted to classify her as a "new recruit", but given her PC knowledge and her passion for hairy RPGs, her admirers recognize her more as a "teacher" or "senpai". In fact, here we simply prefer "grandma" to better reflect her benevolence: since her reflexes have gone soft, Doom Eternal has largely given way to Stardew Valley...
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You're right, you've hit the nail on the head: the context is unfavorable. 1) Compared to Destiny 2, which was disappointing, and expansions that players are increasingly shunning (logical, not qualitative). 2) Financial difficulties. 3) Very big competitors in the shooter world, whether in PvP, PvE, FPS, TPS, loot/extractor, battle royale, sim, arcade... all segments are well occupied. So it's a big challenge. But given the investments, who knows?