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No wonder Superman took so long – director James Gunn was as obsessed with Balatro as the rest of us: "I pretty much just catch up on work and read and play Balatro"

News
By Kaan Serin published 11 July 2025

The global enemy of productivity has come for DC Studios

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Zoomed in picture of a Balatro Joker plush.
(Image credit: PlayStack / Localthunk / Makeship)
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Wondering why Superman took so long to make? It might have something to do with global productivity ruiner Balatro, the card-based roguelike that took over the gaming world and everyone's toilet breaks last year. (Seriously, watch out for pins and needles if you're playing on your phone.)

Superman director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn has been outspoken about his love for the indie hit over the last few months, to the point that he's talked about it again during the press run for Clark Kent's newest reboot.

Speaking to IGN, Gunn calls it a "great game" and explains where the adoration comes from: "Well, I like poker first of all. And then I just like the whole cards thing, so. It's just really fun."

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This isn't the first time he's publicly chatted about the breakout hit, either. Heck, he might even be more devoted to Balatro's secrets than most players.

Just last month, the director pulled off a feat that even I haven't been able to. "This is important," he wrote on social media. "Got over a billion on a single hand of Balatro for the first time on the flight from Manila to Brazil," alongside a screenshot of his ludicrous hand.

He also previously admitted that most of his free time during the Superman press tour was devoted to the game as well. "I pretty much just catch up on work and read and play Balatro and try to sleep when I'm not doing press for 13 hours straight a day," he said. "Maybe I'll grab a nice dinner or two with Peter [Safran] and the cast."

Fighting his own roguelike monster, Balatro creator says he's "146/150 for completionist++ and getting a taste of my own medicine"

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Kaan Serin
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Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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