Krafton has officially cancelled the development of PUBG: Black Budget, an extraction shooter spin-off announced less than a year ago. The publisher announced the decision on the game's Steam page, stating that an internal review concluded the project's current direction would not result in an experience players could enjoy over the long term.
"We have therefore made the difficult decision to end development of PUBG: Black Budget," Krafton stated. "We sincerely thank everyone who took the time to participate in our closed alpha tests and share their feedback."
PUBG: Black Budget was first revealed in November 2023 and was intended to blend the familiar battle royale elements of the PUBG franchise with the mechanics of extraction shooters. The game was set on an island trapped in a time loop, featuring anomalous weather and other environmental factors designed to ensure varied gameplay. This marks the second PUBG spin-off to be cancelled, following PUBG: Blindspot, a tactical shooter that was terminated in March after only two months in early access.
Development on Black Budget had reportedly been underway for years, initially appearing in a 2023 Krafton financial report. The publisher had previously aimed for a second-half 2024 release. Krafton has indicated that lessons learned from Black Budget's development and testing will be carried forward into future projects. The studio is also working on PUBG: Ded.Net, an 80s-themed multiplayer shooter with roguelite elements, which was announced at Gamescom in August.