Balatro's PEGI Rating is Such a Pain That LocalThunk Almost Wanted to Add Real Gambling for 3+ Rating

While there are quite a few indie gems shining this year, Balatro could be the brightest one, with it selling over 3.5 million copies within 10 months and securing three awards at TGA. Yet, such a successful game's journey isn't one that's all sunny with rainbows. A headache has bothered the developer LocalThunk throughout the year and is still ongoing - the 18+ PEGI rating. 

It's such a pain that the developer expressed his dissatisfaction again recently and even thought about adding "real gambling" content, which he hated so much before and even wrote into his will this stance, if that could help change the situation. "Since PEGI gave us an 18+ rating for having evil playing cards maybe I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating to 3+ like EA sports FC," he wrote on social media. 

Not long after the game was released on February 20, the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) changed the rating of the game to 18+, "because it features prominent gambling imagery." The used 3+ rating game has since then only been accessible for adults and soon caused it to be removed from storefronts in some territories. 

Coincidentally, EA Sports FC that he mentioned also involves card packs, as the PEGI rating page reads: "This game offers players the opportunity to purchase in-game items, in the form of an in-game currency, which can be used to purchase random card packs and other game items." So, use real-world money to charge your in-game bank and buy random card packs. "This is comedy," LocalThunk commented. 

It's seemingly not possible that the poker roguelike developer was serious when saying to add real gambling to get the rating corrected, as he continues to add and clear up: 

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