Balatro Delisted from Some Digital Storefronts Following Rating Change; Developer Responds

Balatro, a new roguelike deckbuilder that’s stolen hearts, has suddenly been removed from sale on certain digital stores. We reached out to the game’s publisher, Playstack, who confirmed that the game is currently unavailable on the Nintendo Switch eShop in some countries throughout Europe, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. They explained that the game is still available on Xbox and PlayStation, and their “optimistic view is that, since they have not automatically been removed, this temporary issue is most likely contained to the regions and platforms currently affected.”

On Twitter, the publisher clarified that the game was removed because a specific rating board changed the game’s age rating from 3+ to 18+ overnight “due to a mistaken belief” that it “contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling.” Playstack argued that “Balatro does not allow or encourage gambling – and we fundamentally believe the rating decision is unfounded. Balatro was developed by someone who is staunchly anti-gambling, and painstaking care has been taken to ensure that the game does not feature gambling mechanics of any kind.”

They also provided further context about how the rating board in question, which is presumably PEGI based on the regions affected, had initially rated the game 18+ before lowering it to 3+ because the board’s concern over gambling themes was “unwarranted.” As of now, the publisher aims to get the game back on the storefront with its current 18+ rating and then “take it from there,” which could mean patching it with the new rating or revisiting certification.

Balatro, which was developed by the solo dev LocalThunk, came out on Feb. 20, sold 250,000 copies within its first 72 hours, and has received glowing praise. It’s the type of evocative experience that’s produced a wide range of reactions, from the base thrill of watching your score go up to conjuring warm memories forged over playing cards.