Poker-inspired roguelike Balatro has just passed 2 million sales worldwide – and this milestone achievement has been celebrated with an announcement about the game’s future.
As detailed, it’s set to get its first major gameplay update sometime in 2025, with this upcoming expansion adding “new ideas and strategies to the game.” In better news, it will be entirely free, as a “token of huge appreciation to the game’s brilliant and passionate community” from its developer, LocalThunk.
In addition, LocalThunk has promised “two more surprises” arriving this winter [Southern Hemisphere], with mystery currently surrounding this content. Based on early teasers, the other surprises could relate to new card packs in the game – but it could also be something wilder, so we’ll refrain from any speculation just yet.
Already, we know the game is set to get a physical release in future, and the “surprises” could certainly be tied to this September release (even if it is slightly out of winter). As one of 2024’s earliest surprise hits, Balatro likely has plenty of room to grow from here, and we’re excited to see what’s next.
Read: Balatro is pushing the roguelike deckbuilder to new territory
Elsewhere in Balatro news, LocalThunk recently made headlines for pushing back on a narrative that the game could serve as an entry point to gambling for young people. In responding to this criticism, the developer revealed, “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.”
Replying to further comments about this stance, LocalThunk revealed they had been “approached by people to license the IP over the past few months, presumably to make Balatro themed gambling games like slots or video poker.” It’s likely this interest that sparked the move to deny any gambling-related tie-ins to Balatro in perpetuity.
Going forward, LocalThunk is looking to defend the Balatro brand as much as legally possible, ensuring it can’t be exploited to encourage real-life gambling in any manner.
