‘Balatro’ has come out of nowhere, but it has become the new big obsession in the online gaming world. Move aside, ‘Palworld’, your replacement has arrived. The poker game is extremely fun, yes, but also addictive. So much so, that overnight it has disappeared from the Switch e-shop in a good number of countries. And, although it may not seem like it, there is a more than logical reason for this.
Bet for real
This poker-themed roguelike deck builder (my father, by this point, would have stopped reading without understanding a single word) has been removed from the eShop because the recommended age has been increased from 3 years and older to 18 years and older. The reason? Well, the one you’re imagining: they believe it encourages gambling, and the gambling issue has already destroyed many lives.
There is only one problem: there is no betting or encouragement to do so. But Nintendo has wanted to cover its back and the game disappeared from most of Europe, in Japan and in Australia, although it is still available in the United States. On PSN and Xbox, for now, it continues… but the PEGI rating has increased. And one thing is for your child to play a roguelike game designed for everyone and another thing is for them to play an adult game. It’s not a good idea.
In a tweet, the developers of ‘Balatro’, Playstack, who must be having a fabulous time right now, have promised to do everything possible to get the game back up as soon as possible. For now, and apparently, Nintendo has taken action and is helping it reappear soon on the eShop, turning this drama into an anecdote and giving the game some free publicity as a gift.
In fact, they have clarified not only that there is no encouragement to gamble in the game, but they are strongly against gambling and that the PEGI code has been awarded completely unfounded. They do not rule out (ha) that the game may regain its previous age rating. Only time will tell. And now, a game?
