Players were quick to leave feedback on several things during the Marathon server slam, one of them being the UI. The colorful, slightly retro-futuristic menus do take some getting used to, but as changes are made ahead of launch, a developer is clear that he will not be altering the amount of fonts being used.
On Twitter, Elliot Gray, a UI designer at Bungie, commented on the studio's plans for alterations to the extraction shooter. "All jokes aside there's plenty of work we can and will do as a team to respond to player feedback about inventory management, navigation, density of info, etc.," he says.
"But don't think for a second that we're gonna remove the SAUCE from the UI," he adds, definitively. He includes a hashtag for "Fontsloptakeover," making it clear he's referencing the numerous typefaces Marathon utilizes.
all jokes aside there's plenty of work we can and will do as a team to respond to player feedback about inventory management, navigation, density of info, etc... ...but don't think for a second that we're gonna remove the SAUCE from the UI. #fontsloptakeover https://t.co/HOUlzT9UwvMarch 2, 2026
Gray's responding to a mock-up from another account that cleaned up Marathon's menus to a severe degree, making them seem much more humdrum, with plain text and simply grids. Easier to navigate? Sure. Much less vibrant? Absolutely.
Criticism emerged during the slam over just how much is going on within the FPS's interface, YouTuber Kelski labelling it the "first ever fontslop game." Naturally, Gray appointed himself a "fontslop merchant" in his bio as a result.
There's work to be done on making Marathon a little more streamlined - I did find myself scanning the screen for useful info once or twice when I started playing - but that shouldn't come to the detriment of the game's visual identity. If looking distinct from Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6 and the other competition means a little font chaos, then so be it. Who needs another basic interface, anyway?
