PUBG: Black Budget, an extraction shooter spin-off of Krafton's popular battle royale game, has been cancelled after less than a year of development and closed alpha testing. Krafton announced the decision, stating that the game's current direction would not lead to "an experience players could enjoy over the long term."
In a statement shared via Steam, the publishers explained that while the decision was difficult, they believe it was necessary. "After reviewing the project’s development status and future direction, we concluded that its current direction would not allow us to deliver an experience players could enjoy over the long term," the update read. PUBG Studios affirmed that they would take the lessons learned from Black Budget's development and testing into future projects, continuing to engage with player feedback.
The extraction shooter was only revealed in November of last year and had not yet received a full release date. It was envisioned as a tactical shooter where players would assume the roles of mercenaries tasked with recovering sensitive technology from a deserted island research facility. The game's premise involved battling supernatural threats, referred to as the Anomaly, which manifested as dangerous purple clouds.
This is not the first PUBG spin-off to face an early demise. In March, the top-down shooter PUBG: Blindspot was taken offline just two months after its early access launch. The developers at ARC Team cited similar reasons, stating they could no longer sustainably provide the intended level of experience through early access and decided to conclude development while applying lessons learned to future efforts.
While both Black Budget and Blindspot have flown under the radar compared to their battle royale predecessor, Krafton's decision to end Black Budget's development so soon after its reveal raises questions about the publisher's strategy for expanding the PUBG universe. The challenges faced by other ambitious live service titles in finding a long-term audience may contribute to such decisions, but the early cancellation of potential hits can also stifle their growth.