Marathon server slam hits 143,000 concurrent Steam players on day one

Bungie's pre-release Marathon server slam is off to a strong start. On its very first day, the open server test pulled in a peak of 143,621 concurrent players on Steam.

For context, the ARC Raiders server slam last October peaked at 189,668 concurrent players – and Marathon is already closing that gap, with the test running until March 2. The weekend hasn't hit yet, which traditionally brings a bigger audience, so the final number could go higher still.

The ARC Raiders comparison is useful for another reason too. Both tests were free and open to everyone, and both games carry the same $40 price tag, making the parallel fairly reliable. With ARC Raiders, server slam attendance turned out to be a decent predictor of launch numbers – if the same pattern holds for Marathon, Bungie could be looking at a strong debut.

That said, a quick look at player reactions suggests the art style is still a sticking point for some – even if it's the kind of thing that tends to grow on people.

More impressions coming in a follow-up.