PUBG: Black Budget Cancelled: Krafton Pulls the Plug

Krafton has cancelled extraction shooter PUBG: Black Budget, saying it wasn't fun enough. It's the second PUBG spin-off to get axed this year.

Ever been hyped for a game that just... never comes out? That's the case for PUBG: Black Budget, which Krafton has officially cancelled.

The extraction shooter spin-off was announced less than a year ago and had already gone through several closed alpha tests. But in a Steam update, Krafton explained the decision plainly: after reviewing the project's development status and future direction, they concluded it wouldn't deliver an experience players could enjoy long term. "We have therefore made the difficult decision to end development of PUBG: Black Budget," the publisher wrote.

It's a tough break, especially since Black Budget is the second PUBG spin-off to get the axe. Back in March, tactical shooter PUBG: Blindspot launched in early access but was shut down after just two months. Krafton said it was "no longer able to sustainably provide the level of experience" it set out to deliver. Two cancellations in one year? That's a rough streak.

And honestly, Krafton's reasoning makes sense. The extraction shooter genre is seen as a niche market dominated by a few big names. Even if Black Budget had launched, it would've faced an uphill battle. The live-service graveyard is full of recent projects that failed to find an audience. Many games start strong but can't retain players, and their numbers shrink fast. Take Highguard, the free-to-play shooter that lasted just over a month before shutting down.

PUBG franchise director Taeseok Jang recently reflected on the struggles of Highguard and other live-service games, noting how hard it is to succeed in that space. It's a sobering reminder that even big publishers can't guarantee a hit.

But hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Krafton has another PUBG spin-off in the works: the grindhouse-themed multiplayer shooter Ded.Net. Announced back in August during Gamescom, it's being developed by Krafton's Wisconsin-based studio, PUBG Madison. So the PUBG universe isn't done yet.

What do you think? Were you looking forward to Black Budget, or is Krafton right to cut its losses? Let us know in the comments!