Marathon conspiracy theory claimed positive Reddit posts were paid for

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A false claim is circulating among some people critical of the game Marathon, alleging that positive comments about it – especially on Reddit – were actually paid for by its developers.

Wow, it’s been 12 years since Destiny came out, and now Bungie’s got this new game, Marathon! As a fan, I’ve been really impressed with how it plays – the level design is fantastic, and it’s a genuinely challenging game. But honestly, it feels like it’s had to work extra hard to get the attention it deserves.

It’s become common for games to face criticism even before they launch, especially those designed as ongoing services. A recent example is Highguard, where developers predicted the game would struggle, largely due to negative reactions online – all before anyone had a chance to actually play it.

So, like a lot of other games, Marathon has become a target for some people who want it to fail. It’s gotten to the point where some are even claiming all the positive comments and posts about the game online aren’t genuine – they think the developers are secretly paying people to make it look like everyone loves it. It’s pretty wild, honestly.

Marathon critics ‘expose’ astroturfing scheme

The claim originated from a Reddit post that has since been removed, but was documented by Kotaku. Their investigation looked into whether the post was accurate, and it alleged that a Discord server was paying people to advertise the game Marathon.

The Discord server, reportedly a “Reddit test content farm for Marathon,” promised to pay users $3 for each comment or reply, and $5 for each post that met certain criteria.

Honestly, it’s still a bit fuzzy what I need to do to actually get paid. They haven’t really explained what counts as ‘success’ – is it how long I play, how well I do, or something else entirely? It’s a little frustrating not knowing the exact requirements.

According to OP, screenshot from launch day.

— ♡ Polish Tamales ♡ (@PolishTamales) March 26, 2026

Astroturfing is a deceptive tactic where people are paid to create a false impression of support for something. Essentially, it’s manipulating online conversations to make it seem like there’s genuine enthusiasm when there isn’t.

Kotaku discovered a Discord server called Reddit Circle, which appears to be a real online community. However, its posts didn’t mention the game Marathon at all. Images shared on Reddit seemed to have been altered to falsely create the impression that people were being paid to promote the game.

Many people who responded to the screenshots believed they were real, and accepted the idea that some were trying to artificially create positive feelings about the Marathon.

Man, someone just said we all should’ve begged Bungie to put more money into the game itself, not just focus on other stuff. They’re worried about how well it’s selling, and honestly, I kinda get it. The numbers aren’t looking great.

Someone else added that despite any investment, the Marathon project was destined to fail from the beginning.

The claims spread widely on X (formerly Twitter), gaining hundreds of thousands of views through numerous posts. Some of those sharing the information were automated, or AI-powered, accounts.

So, things got really weird, really fast. Within hours, all the original proof disappeared. The person who first posted the screenshots on Reddit took them down, and a bunch of accounts on X that were backing up the story either locked themselves down or just wouldn’t say anything more about it. It was like they were trying to cover their tracks!

Bungie is still actively updating Marathon, building on the recent addition of the Cryo Archive map and its ranked play features. The developers just announced they’re starting to test a new option that will let players team up in pairs for matchmaking.

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2026-03-27 06:49