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The Latest Breaking News from LocalThunk

Joy and despair as game devs fight for a Switch 2 of their own, with Smash Bros' Masahiro Sakurai lucking into one while Balatro's LocalThunk still hunting

Good hunting, everyone

GamesRadar

Here are the best deals you can pick up in Fanatical's ongoing Level Up sale

There's no level cap on bargains. I don't actually know what that means.

PC Gamer

YouTube is conducting a 'platform-wide review' after mistakenly hitting Balatro videos with an age restriction for gambling content

"Videos featuring Balatro gameplay should not be age-restricted."

PC Gamer

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
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YouTube has started age restricting Balatro videos for alleged gambling-related content, and creator LocalThunk is clearly getting sick of this sort of thing

"Good thing we are protecting children from knowing what a 4 of a kind is and letting them watch CS case opening videos instead."

PC Gamer

PC Gamer vindicated by Swen Vincke: Larian boss calls Balatro his personal GOTY as it sweeps top prize from devs at GDC awards

All well and good that Balatro got its plaudits, but what truly matters here is that we were right.

PC Gamer

When starting development on his hit roguelike, Balatro creator set out to recreate a made-up card game he played "thousands" of times with his friends

It "had some pretty wacky rules and a lot of bluffing"

GamesRadar

Balatro creator hits back at AI art spread on the roguelike's subreddit: "I don't use it in my game, I think it does real harm to artists of all kinds"

Localthunk lands on the anti side of the AI art fence

GamesRadar

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From "I stopped working on the project entirely" to "we are so back," Balatro creator says the roguelike's development was always about passion and taking breaks was essential

The momentum from this break led the developer to consider publicly releasing a game for the first time

GamesRadar

Balatro creator was "shocked" at his poker roguelike's high review scores: "I don’t think I would have rated Balatro higher than an 8 and I made the damn thing"

No need to be modest

GamesRadar

Balatro's first few hours generated over $600,000, "far more money" than the roguelike's creator had ever made: "It is the most surreal day of my life"

Its launch was 10-20 times bigger than LocalThunk thought it would be

GamesRadar

LocalThunk had made hobby games in the past, but realized Balatro was something special when a friend revealed he had played it for '20, 30, or 40' hours

The most honest endorsement you can give to your friend's indie game.

PC Gamer

Balatro 1.1 will include new jokers plus a revamp of a really confusing existing one

It also sounds like this might not be the end for Balatro.

PC Gamer

Balatro maker promises that the dodgiest odds in the hit roguelike aren't deceiving you

"Yes, Wheel of Fortune really is 1 in 4"

GamesRadar

Secretive Game Developer Codes Hit 'Balatro' In Canadian Prairie Province

There are no photos or videos of LocalThunk, an anonymous computer programmer who lives in the vast and desolate prairies of Canada's Saskatchewan province, far from Silicon Valley.

International Business Times

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GamesRadar

Balatro's creator hits out at EA Sports FC as the roguelike gets rated 18+: "I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating"

All tea all shade

GamesRadar

Balatro creator says the business aspect of making his hit roguelike is something he's still "learning the ropes" of

LocalThunk talks us through the hurdles of making Balatro and his future plans

GamesRadar

Balatro creator reacts to The Game Awards noms by telling you to play other indie games that weren't nominated: "I just happen to be the lucky one to be propped up"

LocalThunk says to "please give these games a try" as his hit roguelike earns five TGA nominations

PC Gamer

All Balatro's creator wants to do after the game received 5 nominations at the Game Awards is praise other overlooked developers: 'I just happen to be one of the lucky ones'

"I feel like my game just happens to be the current face of this beautiful and passionate corner of the industry."

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PC Gamer

Balatro was only supposed to have 120 jokers but 'instead of correcting' a publisher mistake, LocalThunk 'just made 30 more' of them

Honestly, what a mood.

PC Gamer

Geralt and Dave the Diver are in Balatro now

The Friends of Jimbo "collaboration pack," which also includes Vampire Survivors and Among Us, is out now and free for everyone

PC Gamer

'I hate the thought of Balatro becoming a true gambling game': LocalThunk is making sure casinos can't get their hands on his game even after he dies by literally writing it into his will

Taking the phrase "over my dead body" to another level.

GamesRadar

Balatro dev "disappointed" actual gambling games "aren't rated the same way" after ratings boards grilled the roguelike for gambling mechanics that don't exist

Balatro was temporarily pulled from some digital storefronts over its age rating change

GamesRadar

Despite making one of the best roguelike card games ever, solo Balatro dev only realized "the day before launch" they might have a hit on their hands

Little did they know it would sell 500,000 copies in 10 days

PC Gamer

'Balatro is the first deckbuilder I ever played,' says developer who singlehandedly made Balatro

Despite this, over 1,500 years of Balatro have collectively been played on Steam.

PC Gamer

19 essential Balatro tips to make you a master of the blinds

Get to Ante 8 and beyond with these key strategies.

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