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Krafton shuts down PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after closed alpha test

Krafton is ending development on PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after its closed alpha test on Steam. Read more

Krafton shuts down PUBG spin-off Black Budget nine months after closed alpha test

Krafton has announced the discontinuation of its PUBG spin-off, Black Budget, nine months after its closed alpha test. The game, which features an extraction shooter with a time loop mechanic, aimed to have teams survive and escape together. Following an internal review, Krafton determined the project's current direction wouldn't deliver an enjoyable long-term experience for players.

The studio expressed gratitude to those who participated in the closed alpha tests and shared feedback. Black Budget was the second PUBG spin-off to be cancelled this year, following the recent shutdown of Blindspot in March after just two months in Early Access. Krafton had previously aimed to expand the PUBG IP into various genres through sandbox-oriented user-generated content, with PUBG: Ded.Net being another upcoming spin-off focused on roguelike progression.

Despite the cancellations, PUBG reported a 94.9% revenue increase to ₩1.29 trillion ($889.1 million) in Q2, citing the expansion of the PUBG franchise and the success of its partner game, Subnautica 2.

Written by urgent.news from GamesIndustry's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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