Roguelike hit Balatro can't be sold to any gambling companies or casinos even after its creator dies, because its solo dev is so against that idea they've written it into their will

(Image credit: Playstack)

The solo dev behind the indie roguelike hit Balatro is so against their game "becoming a true gambling game" that they've even made sure that it can't be sold or licensed by any gambling companies or casinos after they die.

Balatro may be based on the Big Two card game, but since launch, solo dev LocalThunk has been clear that they "do not condone gambling," and don't "believe that Balatro contains gambling" in the first place. Unfortunately for LocalThunk, shortly after the roguelike's launch, it was temporarily pulled from certain digital storefronts as its age rating was revised due to concerns that it "contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs gambling." This saw its rating changed from a PEGI 3+ to 18+ in the UK, in a move which the solo dev called "unwarranted."

Now, in a new post on Twitter, LocalThunk reveals that they've gone a step further to make sure that their game can't be used by gambling companies even after their death. "From the outside this might make zero sense but I hate the thought of Balatro becoming a true gambling game so much that when I recently created my will I stipulated that the Balatro IP may never be sold or licensed to any gambling company/casino," they write.

Back when Balatro was temporarily pulled over its age ratings, its publisher, Playstack, released a statement in which it said that "Balatro was developed by someone who is staunchly anti-gambling," and revealed that "painstaking care has been taken to ensure that the game does not feature gambling mechanics of any kind." That "painstaking care" has continued well after launch, it seems, and fans have no need to worry about the game's fate now or ever when it comes to any gambling ties.

Astonishingly, Balatro's creator had never even played Slay the Spire and intentionally "cut myself off" from roguelikes to create the best game possible.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.