Balatro, a poker roguelike that has become a surprise hit after being released last month, is facing delisting in some regions due to a sudden rating change. The change claimed that the game encouraged gambling.
“This is not an issue with the stores themselves, but rather a reaction to an unexpected change in Balatro‘s age rating from 3+ to 18+ by a ratings board without any prior notice, based on a mistaken belief that the game ‘contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling,'” explained publisher Playstack in a message on X. Playstack emphasizes that Balatro does not endorse gambling, and they believe the ratings decision is unwarranted.
The rating board in question is PEGI, which Playstack had discussions with in October 2023 before the game was originally assigned a 3+ rating. Playstack is currently unable to determine exactly from which stores the game will be removed or provide a timeline for resolving the issues. However, players who have already purchased Balatro in affected regions will still be able to redownload and play it even after it’s delisted from digital storefronts.
In the US, Balatro retains an E10+ rating from the ESRB for “gambling themes.” Similar incidents have occurred with poker-related games in the past, such as the delisting of Strange Scaffold’s Sunshine Shuffle in December over developer TikTok videos joking about the game promoting gambling. Fortunately, Sunshine Shuffle was eventually relisted, providing hope that Balatro will also return to the affected regions.
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