Ever since its launch on February 20, 2024, Balatro has been captivating global audiences. Defined as an 'enchantingly engaging deck-builder where players concoct illicit poker hands,' the game has received widespread acclaim from indie game enthusiasts worldwide. Currently, Balatro, available on all platforms, boasts an 'overwhelmingly positive' rating on Steam. However, the game and its publisher - Playstack Games- recently hit a stumbling block in Europe.
The PEGI ratings board, without any prior communication with the developer or publisher, decided to change the age rating for Balatro from 3+ to 18+ overnight. This decision led to the removal of Balatro from several digital outlets in the EU. Expressing its disappointment in PEGI's decision to reclassify Balatro based on the inclusion of 'prominent gambling imagery' in the game, Playstack Games issued the following statement:
'Balatro does not allow or encourage gambling – and we fundamentally believe the ratings 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.'
Moving forward, the publisher is set to contest the rating assigned by PEGI while assuring players that the copies they own will not be affected by this shift in rating. In the majority of markets, Balatro remains a blockbuster hit still receiving positive reviews from both its fans and critics.
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