During a recent quarterly financial call, the publisher behind popular online survival-shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (now known as PUBG: Battlegrounds), Krafton, announced the next game by PUBG Studios. It’s called Project Black Budget, and it’s an extraction shooter due to release in 2024 on PC and consoles.
Unfortunately that’s about all we know for now; the game hasn’t been officially shown or announced to the wider public. It’s listed as a “Major Pipeline Title,” alongside a sequel to Subnautica, and a new action-adventure sandbox game called Project Gold Rush.
Note that the specific release date is listed as “Targeting launch in second half of 2024,” which could easily slip into the following year. Multiplayer shooters often release first in early access as well.
If you’re like me and unsure what exactly an “extraction shooter” means, it’s similar to the now familiar Battle Royale genre. Players spawn into a map, and have to scavenge supplies and gear while trying not to get killed as other online players eliminate each other until there’s one person (or squad) remaining.
However, extraction shooters don’t require players to eliminate each other. Instead players will have other goals, such as gathering a certain amount of loot and trying to escape with their lives. The survival element is still there, but with more objectives, scenarios, and NPC enemies.
PUBG originally popularized the Battle Royale genre, before becoming overshadowed by the even more popular Fortnite. PUBG is still of the best-selling video games of all time, and recently transitioned to free-to-play in 2022.
It will be interesting to see how the studio can iterate on the Battle Royale genre. Look for more news on Project Black Budget next year.
