One of Marathon<\/em>\u2019s deepest mysteries has nothing to do with how 50,000 human colonists seemingly vanished overnight, or even the ultra powerful S’pht Compiler alien that players fight in Cryo Archive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why do the random lobsters players can find on the Dire Marsh map appear as different colors to players depending on which Runner Shell they\u2019re using? It\u2019s strange, almost surreal \u2014 but obviously a deliberate design choice. What does it mean?<\/p>\n When interviewing developers about Marathon<\/em>\u2019s design and approach to marketing with altered reality games (ARGs), I asked about the lobsters on a whim. Their non-answer was telling. \u201cThat one’s all you, Emmanuel,\u201d principal marketing manager Nick Clifford said on the video call, referring to his colleague, \u201cThat one surprised me as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not comment on the lobsters,\u201d principal producer Emanuel Rosu said plainly.<\/p>\n So it does<\/em> mean something, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Players first noticed something off about the lobsters during the Marathon<\/em> server slam held in February. On X, @AkiAndFam posted photos of a lobster, which appeared blue for Assassin, red for Triage, and green for Destroyer. In other words, when a player spawns in Marathon<\/em>, the game tracks what shell they\u2019re using and uses that data to determine what they\u2019re able to see. Runners do not have a shared perception of the world. And the poster agreed with commentary that it may be related to altered memories or perception for Runners.<\/p>\n Players have also pointed out that the lobster colors \u2014 blue, red, and green \u2014 are a direct match for a bizarre mural in-game that depicts three humanoid figures participating in what appears to be some kind of sacrificial ritual. The blue figure weeps over what looks like 11 dead bodies. The red figure (also weeping) is piercing the green figure through the abdomen, and the green figure\u2019s essence appears to be leaking out into seven other figures.<\/p>\n Much like the pink cat that is sometimes found in-game, players have latched onto the lobsters as a memed bit of levity. When players run out of vault space, they often comment in the official Marathon<\/em> Discord server, \u201cMy steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery.” It\u2019s a fitting new use for one of 2025\u2019s weirdest meme catchphrases.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething that\u2019s really resonated with me over the years is the juxtaposition of the cutthroat unforgiving world of Tau Ceti IV, but then also finding the opportunities to introduce levity in the right ways,\u201d Marathon<\/em>\u2019s Clifford said during our conversation. \u201cFinding those moments with the pink cat or the lobsters, that humor helps balance things out.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to the lobsters, it may be little more than a silly, lighthearted bit. It\u2019s also possible that other subjective visuals could be incorporated into the gameplay. In Bungie\u2019s Destiny 2<\/em>, many raid and raid-like experiences require one or more players to call out visual elements only they can see \u2014 usually while they\u2019re carrying some sort of buff \u2014 so that other players in their squad can shoot specific corresponding targets. The lobsters may be Bungie experimenting with something similar.<\/p>\n The wider implication, however, definitely deepens the game\u2019s mysteries. Runners are former humans who gave up their bodies to digitize their consciousness. The bio-synthetic shells they control are quite literally just shells they inhabit. The April 2025 cinematic trailer also confirms that over time, repeated transfers lead to the degradation of a Runner\u2019s memories. The \u201cIn Death We\u2019ve Just Begun\u201d cinematic launch trailer also seems to show glimpses of memories blended together. All this to say that narratively the game is grappling with altered memory and perception in equal measure. Is anything we see even real?<\/p>\n Bungie\u2019s Rosu also offered an anecdote about one fan who was particularly taken with the lobsters during a summer playtest.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in Dire Marsh session playing solo and this guy just runs out of the fog and whispers on proximity chat, \u2018Come check something out,\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201c\u2018You’re obviously going to take me somewhere and kill me.\u2019 But he proceeded to give me a tour of all the lobsters on Dire Marsh. And in the Discord, he’s basically the lobster tour guide. I don’t think he even knew I was a dev at that time, but it means a lot to enjoy those kinds of moments in ways you don’t intentionally plan for.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether the lobsters are a joke, a mechanic, or something deeper, one thing is clear: not everyone in Marathon<\/em> is seeing the same world. In a game about fractured memory and unstable identity, they feel like a precursor to some greater mystery that\u2019s yet to be unraveled.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"marathon](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/marathon-mural.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
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