Balatro Sees Huge Sales Spike After Game Awards Nomination

After receiving five nominations for The Game Awards 2024, the indie poker roguelike Balatro has seen a massive jump in sales, earning over $700,000 in the week following the announcement. Initially released for PC and console in February, Balatro expanded to mobile in late September, pulling in nearly $4.4 million on iOS and Android devices.

Immediately following its release in early 2024, Balatro became a smash hit, enticing players with its fast-paced and approachable gameplay. Developed entirely by the solo developer LocalThunk, Balatro‘s gameplay circles around making Poker hands to reach specific point goals, with over 150 unique Joker cards adding special abilities and multipliers into the mix. The game is notoriously easy to pick up and put down, perfect for those with a few free minutes to spare during the day. The addictive title is continuing to see major wins, both monetarily and in award nominations as the end of 2024 approaches.

According to PocketGamer, Balatro has earned almost $4.4 million since releasing for mobile devices on September 26. The indie card game managed to bring in $1 million in its first week on Android and iOS, and following a slew of nominations for The Game Awards 2024 announced on November 18, Balatro quickly saw a jump in sales, earning $727,000 over the past week alone. The poker roguelike has been nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Mobile Game, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and, incredibly, Game of the Year. Up against heavy hitters like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Black Myth: Wukong, fans will have to tune in on December 12 to see if LocalThunk’s massively popular indie title can bring home the gold.

Balatro Pulls in Over $700,000 in One Week Following Game of the Year Nomination

Since the game’s release, Balatro has seen several updates, with a May patch adding additional Joker cards and the Perishable and Rental Joker mechanics. The game has also collaborated with some popular titles in its “Friends of Jimbo” updates, allowing players to customize the face cards in their deck to feature memorable characters from other games. So far, fans can choose from illustrations inspired by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, Among Us, The Binding of Issac, Vampire Survivors, Slay the Spire, Dave the Diver, and Stardew Valley. Understandably, LocalThunk has expressed interest in pursuing other collaborations in the future.

Balatro will see its first major update in 2025, though the specific contents have not yet been revealed. According to LocalThunk, the free update will introduce new strategies and ideas to the game “as a token of huge appreciation to the game’s brilliant and passionate community.” As of August 2024, Balatro had sold over 2 million copies, and the hit indie title is showing no signs of slowing down.

Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big.

The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.

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Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory

Strategy

Digital Card Game

Roguelike

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Released

February 20, 2024

Developer(s)

LocalThunk

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Publisher(s)

Playstack

Engine

LÖVE

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ESRB

E For Everyone

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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