PUBG: Black Budget Revealed as Krafton Faces Growing AI Backlash

Krafton is currently navigating one of the most turbulent periods in its corporate history. The publisher’s recent announcement of deep AI integration across its pipeline triggered widespread concern among developers and players, a concern that was worsened by the controversial firing of the Subnautica studio founder.

Amid this climate, Krafton is attempting to redirect the conversation by revealing a major new project under the PUBG banner in PUBG: Black Budget.

Entering the Extraction Shooter Race

Extraction shooters have become one of the industry’s most competitive subgenres, with projects such as Arc Raiders driving renewed interest. Krafton is now staking its claim with PUBG: Black Budget, a title that blends traditional extraction mechanics with the studio’s battle royale heritage.

The core structure mirrors the genre’s staples. Players enter hostile zones, fight both human opponents and environmental threats, secure valuable gear, and attempt extraction before the battlefield becomes unmanageable. Survival is everything. Death wipes all equipment carried into the mission, creating a high-stakes cycle that rewards strategic play as much as raw gun skill.

Difficulty increases the longer players remain in the field, creating a natural ramp in tension and risk. This escalating pressure pushes players to make difficult decisions as they weigh exploration, confrontation, and retreat.

A Fusion of Extraction and Battle Royale Design

Krafton’s twist comes through the reintroduction of classic PUBG systems. PUBG: Black Budget will feature a shrinking death circle that forces players inward, preventing stagnant play and ensuring consistently dynamic engagements. The hybrid design aims to preserve the unpredictability of battle royale matches while anchoring the experience in extraction-style planning and progression.

Outside the battlefield, the game offers meta systems to support long-term investment. These include base building, weapon crafting, skill trees, and persistent character upgrades.

Narratively, players step into the role of a Contractor enlisted by a secretive military initiative on Coli, an isolated island caught in an unstable time loop. A mysterious phenomenon known as the Anomaly drives the setting’s surreal tone, introducing environmental hazards and narrative hooks that set PUBG: Black Budget apart from more grounded military shooters.

Closed Alpha Tests Begin in December

Although Krafton has not committed to a release window, players will not have to wait long to go hands on. Two closed alpha tests are scheduled for:

• December 12 to 14
• December 19 to 21

Sign-ups are now available on the PUBG: Black Budget‘s Steam page, offering early adopters the chance to explore Krafton’s newest gamble.

Krafton is clearly hoping that the extraction shooter will help shift attention back to its creative output. Whether the extraction shooter can deliver enough momentum to overcome the publisher’s recent controversies remains a question that only time and player reception will answer.