PUBG’s Upcoming Extraction Shooter Black Budget Releases Next Year

The developer behind PUBG is pursuing its next big project. Krafton is trying to foray into the extraction shooter genre that is set to come out in the second half of next year. The title was revealed earlier, but more details were found in the company’s latest Q3 2023 earnings report (thanks, Games Horizon). The shrouded entry is currently named Black Budget. However, it could be changed as the development progresses over the months. 

The first concept poster for Black Budget was also revealed in the earnings report, giving a sort of post-apocalyptic vibe. The image shows an underground facility that has been taken over by the roots of nature and a giant tree covering most of the image in the middle. It is worth noting that nothing besides the image is currently known about the title, so a synopsis of the lore is anyone’s guess at the moment.

Black Budget will likely feature many facets of the popular battle royale. Last year’s financial report mentioned that it takes place in an “everchanging PvPvE open world.” Krafton has also confirmed that the game will launch on PC, console, and mobile. However, it is unclear whether that includes the last-gen consoles.

The publisher also has multiple other internal projects in the pipeline, with the first soft launch beginning in FY2024. The Next Subnautica is apparently going to arrive in the first half of 2025 and is highly awaited by the community. Additionally, the action-adventure Project Gold Rush is aiming for a launch in the first half of 2025. A few other titles have also been briefly included, like Project Windless and some nameless ones.

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We suggest taking the new developments by Krafton with a grain of salt. The project appears to be progressing quite well if its release is set for next year. However, we’ve yet to see an official footage of any kind. There is a possibility that internal delays push the title into 2025, but there is no way to tell until Krafton reveals more about the secretive entry.

After towering over the battle royale genre for a while, it remains unclear whether Krafton can put its foot into the already-dominated extraction shooter genre. Giants like Escape from Tarkov have already established a standard for hardcore fans. So Krafton may have to adopt the same hardcore approach to compete on equal footing or go for an easier style to gain critical acclaim amid the graveyard of many failures.