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A new interview with the Balatro publisher PlayStack has revealed that the game’s creator LocalThunk has kept his anonymity despite the game’s success due to “wanting to be left alone.” Balatro is among the most successful games released in 2024, and while some gamers have continued to be curious about LocalThunk’s real identity, it does not seem that the dev will reveal themselves anytime soon.

Released last year, Balatro quickly became a huge hit. The game was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, losing to Astro Bot, though it managed to take home multiple awards at the ceremony, including Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game. The poker roguelike continues to find huge financial success, with Balatro selling over 3,500,000 units by December 2024.

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In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Playstack’s communications director Wout van Halderen, revealed the reason why LocalThunk never shared their identity with fans. According to van Halderen, LocalThunk never wanted to appear in the spotlight. While some people thought he was trying to “pull a Banksy” by playing the part of the mysterious creator, the truth was that LocalThunk just “wanted to be left alone to make his game and live his life.” Considering how much harassment devs often face, it’s likely that this made LocalThunk’s life significantly easier.

Balatro Dev LocalThunk Just Wants to Be Left Alone Out of the Spotlight

Despite not divulging his real identity, LocalThunk often shares his thoughts about Balatro. For example, LocalThunk recently revealed he never expected Balatro to be a hit. Initially, the game was supposed to be a small project to play with a few friends, but it made over $600,000 in its first few hours, becoming widely recognized as one of the most popular titles of the year later on.

LocalThunk even joked about Balatro winning so many awards back in December. Beyond the accolades it received at The Game Awards 2024, Balatro won Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards, Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and, most recently, Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

With the huge success of the poker-inspired game, it was recently revealed that Balatro will get its own playing card deck. The deck can currently be pre-ordered by fans and costs $16. It comes with the standard 52 cards, as well as four of Balatro’s signature Jokers: Joker, Juggler, Blueprint, and Gros Michel. Apart from this kind of merchandise, Balatro has also collaborated with other games in the past, adding card skins inspired by Cult of the Lamb, Shovel Knight, Critical Role, Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, Slay the Princess, and others.

Game

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Strategy

Digital Card Game

Roguelike

Released

February 20, 2024

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Gambling Themes

Developer(s)

LocalThunk

Publisher(s)

Playstack