According to Polygon, PUBG Corporation is entering the crowded extraction shooter market with PUBG: Black Budget, featuring closed alpha playtests running December 12-14 and December 19-21. The game is set on an island called Coli trapped in a time loop with a supernatural phenomenon called the Anomaly. Players will face PvPvE threats while hunting for secret technology and uncovering the SAPIENS initiative. Unlike typical extraction shooters, Black Budget includes a gradually shrinking playable area similar to battle royale games. The longer players remain “in the loop,” the more difficulty increases through unspecified mechanics. Registration is available through the game’s Steam page with streaming and content sharing permitted during testing.
Battle royale meets extraction
Here’s the thing: PUBG Corporation is basically trying to merge their battle royale DNA with the extraction shooter formula that’s currently dominating Steam. Games like Arc Raiders and the newly Steam-released Escape From Tarkov have shown there’s massive appetite for this genre. But adding a shrinking play area? That’s a bold move that fundamentally changes the extraction shooter dynamic. Instead of methodical looting and careful extraction planning, you’re now racing against a collapsing map. It could either be brilliant innovation or a complete mismatch.
Community skepticism
And the initial reaction hasn’t been exactly welcoming. Over on Reddit, users are already expressing doubts about the shrinking zone concept, with one commenter calling it “not the best idea” while another suggested PUBG Corporation is just “throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks.” There’s also concern about cheaters, which has been a persistent issue in PUBG, and broader criticism about the company’s management. When you’re entering a space dominated by established favorites and recent breakouts like Arc Raiders that crushed Black Ops 7’s launch numbers, you need to bring something truly compelling. Does a shrinking zone qualify? The community seems skeptical at best.
Time loop mechanics
The time loop difficulty scaling is another interesting twist that could make or break the experience. The description is vague about how exactly difficulty increases – whether it’s tougher enemies, player debuffs, or new threats emerging. But think about it: this could create some incredible tension as matches progress. Early game might feel like traditional extraction looting, while late game becomes a desperate survival scenario. The question is whether players will embrace that progression or find it frustrating. Extraction shooter fans tend to like having control over their engagement timing – will forced escalation through time mechanics ruin that?
PUBG’s comeback bid
So what’s really happening here? PUBG Corporation clearly sees an opportunity to reclaim relevance in a genre they helped popularize. Battle royale has evolved dramatically since PUBG’s heyday, and extraction shooters represent the next evolution of high-stakes multiplayer. But jumping into an already crowded field requires more than just slapping PUBG’s name on a new concept. The shrinking zone and time loop mechanics suggest they’re trying to differentiate themselves, but differentiation only matters if the execution is solid. With playtesting starting next month, we’ll soon see if this is PUBG’s triumphant return or just another also-ran in the extraction shooter gold rush.
