It’s no secret that KRAFTON has been looking to expand the PUBG universe. While the publisher has openly discussed broadening its portfolio with titles like Project Black Budget and PUBG: BLINDSPOT, a new, unannounced title has quietly entered the playtesting phase.
Dubbed Project Valor, the game is currently in development at PUBG Studios. Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming shooter.
Arcade Battle Royale
Officially, KRAFTON’s internal documentation describes Project Valor as a “console-focused battle royale” built on Unreal Engine 5, with a heavy emphasis on pushing photorealistic graphics. However based on early impressions and footage surfacing online, the game plays quite differently than the classic PUBG formula. The combat appears to be a departure from the grounded, punishing ballistics PUBG is known for. Early console testers have noted that the gunplay feels significantly more “arcadey” complete with noticeable aim assist.
Players collect “scrap” during the match, which serves as currency. This scrap is spent at the Workbench to buy or upgrade gear on the fly. The crafting menu allows players to purchase essential survival items such as:
- Tactical Throwables, Lethal Throwables, and Optics
- Ammo, Medkits and Pills
- Armor and weapon Attachments
Blood Altars and The “ROMz” System
Perhaps the most surprising departure from the grounded military realism of PUBG is Project Valor’s heavy occult and supernatural theme. The game features eerie, cult-like environments, including literal “Blood Altars” decorated with glowing candles and massive, suspended crowns of branches and thorns.
These set pieces are directly tied to the gameplay loop. Players are prompted to use these “Blood Altars” or mechanical “Evangelist Machines” scattered across the map to acquire items called “ROMz”.
ROMz act as retro-styled, corrupted game cartridges (branded as “DED. NET ROMZ”) that grant players wild, game-changing perks and abilities:
- Prankster: A chaotic perk that lets players hack phones and trap cars, doors, windows, or containers to sabotage others. It also allows you to ignore the flash effect from a “Feign Death” ability and highlights enemies who are faking their demise.
- Peek-A-Boo: This cartridge allows you to see nearby enemies through walls, but comes with the heavy trade-off that those enemies can also see you.
Welcome to Twin Creeks, USA
As for where players will be dropping in, the leaked footage gives us a clear look at Project Valor’s map—and it is a far cry from the fictionalized Eastern European or Asian landscapes of classic PUBG.
The game appears to be set in a highly atmospheric, rural United States town called Twin Creeks. One screenshot explicitly shows a rusted sign for “Twin Creeks High School,” home of the “Fightin’ Marmots,” complete with a marquee advertising a Saturday night Senior Prom. The environment is heavily forested, overgrown, and bathed in a thick, eerie fog that perfectly complements the game’s occult undertones.
Platforms and PC Playtesting
Despite KRAFTON internally labeling Project Valor as a console-centric experience, the game isn’t skipping PC.
Sign-up sheets for the game’s closed alpha testing platform on Firstlook.gg explicitly list PC as a selectable platform alongside the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. Whether the PC version is just for testing purposes or planned for a simultaneous launch remains to be seen, but KRAFTON is actively gathering data from mouse-and-keyboard players.
July Playtest Dates
KRAFTON is currently ramping up its North American playtests. According to the Firstlook sign-up portal, the developer is locking in players for three weekend testing windows:
- July 10th – 12th
- July 17th – 19th
- July 24th – 26th
Getting into the playtest, however, has been a bit of a bumpy ride for the community. KRAFTON has been pushing targeted ads on platforms like TikTok to draw in users, but multiple players have taken to Reddit to report broken domain links and UI errors preventing them from completing their Firstlook profiles.
KRAFTON has yet to make a formal, public announcement regarding Project Valor. Given that the game is already in playable external testing phases on UE5 a proper reveal might not be too far off.
What do you think about KRAFTON branching out into extraction shooters with Project Valor?
