Changes to Balatro Rating Sparks Controversy

Image: Playstack

LocalThunk’s popular roguelike deckbuilder game, Balatro, has suddenly disappeared from several Switch eShops without warning. This removal follows an unexpected alteration in the game’s age rating from 3+ to 18+ by the European ratings board, PEGI.

Playstack, the game’s publisher, expressed disappointment in a statement on Twitter. The publisher had previously addressed concerns about gambling themes in the game in October 2023, and after assurance by the ratings board, they were granted a 3+ rating. It came as a surprise when the rating was suddenly revised to 18+ without prior notice.

Official Statement and Response

To our amazing fans,

We are aware that Balatro has been temporarily removed from sale on a number of digital stores in some countries on console platforms, meaning that some new customers will be unable to buy it. Presently we cannot estimate with complete confidence which stores it will be removed from, but our hope is that only a minority of stores will be affected. We are highly confident that the game will remain available on PC stores, including Steam.

Anyone who has already purchased the game will still be able to play it.

Please rest assured we are working as hard as we can to get the game back on sale as soon as possible. This is not an issue with the stores themselves, however a reaction to an overnight change to Balatro’s age rating from 3+ to 18+ by a ratings board without any advance warning, due to a mistaken belief that the game “contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling”.

Balatro does not allow or encourage gambling – and we fundamentally believe the ratings decision is unfounded. Balatro was developed by someone who is staunchly anti-gambling, and painstaking care has been taken to ensure that the game does not feature gambling mechanics of any kind.

We are especially disappointed in the actions of the ratings board as we specifically addressed this topic with them in October, and were given a 3+ rating after it had initially been rated 18+. During that specific appeal, the ratings board assured us “we have reviewed your product and determined that the disclosure of gambling themes was unwarranted”. The game content has not changed since the age rating was amended to a 3+.

We continue to be floored by the response to Balatro, including NintendoLife’s latest review which has scored the game 10/10, and we are deeply sorry that some fans will not be able to access the game this weekend.

Please rest assured the game will be back up on sale, possibly with a temporary 18+ rating while we resolve the issue.

We thank you for your patience and support – we are utterly blown away by your passion and belief in Balatro.

Playstack

Nintendo Life Review and Availability

Our review of Balatro was recently published by Nintendo Life. Shortly after our review, the game’s absence on European Switch eShops was noticed. While European gamers may have to wait, the game is still accessible on the US Switch eShop, labeled with a 10+ ESRB rating and a mention of “Gambling Themes.”

Readers can explore our review below as we await the return of Balatro to European stores.