When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
But here’s what I found most interesting from the post.
Thank goodness I avoided playing it until now because I surely would have just copied their incredible design ."
Balatro is a perfect game for the Steam Deck
Throughout 2022, LocalThunk began experimenting with prototypes, moving to the name ‘Joker Poker’.
It was this really made ‘Joker Poker’ look like a feasable release for the public.
Nobody chose Balatro, but Localthunk chose it anyway.
Violet Vessel is one of the toughest ‘Boss Blinds’ to come up against in Balatro
“Something about it really stuck with me so I just went with it.
Money that I’m sure Localthunk feels was well spent now!
“The beta went live on Steam in May 2023, and…nothing.
Ben Starr plays ‘Jimbo’ in the Balatro trailer
By the end of this month, Balatro had a paltry 48 wishlists.
By the end of June 2023 the wishlists spiked to 2440.
It’s not long after this that LocalThunk signs up with PlayStack for help with publishing.
By the end of September, Balatro was at nearly 50,000 wishlists on Steam.
I have a pretty emotional moment where I feel like I did the thing I set out to do.
I made the fun game I wanted to make.”
I made Balatro IRL for when my Steam Deck battery is dead.
He humbly writes " I am shocked.
That rating doesnt make any sense.”
But this was no outlier, the game sat at90 on MetaCriticand OpenCritic.
A collection of Jokers you can earn in the game
“I dont think I would have rated Balatro higher than an 8 and I made the damn thing.
“He ended the day with burgers and champagne, and the rest as we say, is history.
This kitty has a few cards up its sleeve(Image credit: Double Dagger Studio LLC)
You can find Jimbo in Cyberpunk 2077 if you look hard enough(Image credit: CDProjektRed)
