breakthrough strike Balatero– a poker-themed roguelike deck builder – encountered some rating issues, causing the game to be suddenly removed from the Nintendo eShop in many European countries. The removal surprised both developers and publishers, who must now work to get the game back on sale.
Released last month on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC, Balatero is a great and hard to put down deck builder. It uses poker mechanics and hand cards as the basis for a strange but fun roguelike that’s all about using power-ups and special cards to earn massive combos. Players earn chips as they win games and progress, but these chips are only used as currency to purchase upgrades and new cards. You don’t gamble with them at all.However, the card game theme and references to the big and small blinds (part of the poker betting process) appear to have led to changes in overnight ratings Balatero and removed from the Nintendo eShop in some regions.
March 1Playstack, the publisher of Balatro, confirmed via Twitter that the popular card game has been removed from certain consoles in “select countries.”in an email my cityPlayStack clarified that the game appears to have been removed from the Nintendo Switch eShop in most of Europe. my cityof My own investigation seems to confirm this, as the game isn’t available on Germany or UK online storebut still running (at least for now) In the U.S.Other console stores appear to be unaffected, but PEGI ratings have changed Balatero From 3+ to 18+ on PSN and Xbox. According to Playstack, this is why the game was suddenly removed from some stores.
“It’s not a problem with the store itself,” explained Balatero issued a statement on Twitter on March 1. “However, the reaction to the overnight changes Balatero’s The rating board, without any prior warning, graded the game from 3+ to 18+ due to the mistaken belief that the game “contains prominent images of gambling and material instructing gambling.”
“Balatro does not permit or encourage gambling and we fundamentally believe the rating decisions are unwarranted. Balatero “This game was developed by someone who is staunchly opposed to gambling, and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the game does not contain any type of gambling mechanics,” PlayStack explained.
The publisher further added that it was “disappointed” by the PEGI ratings board, as it claimed to have discussed the topic with them specifically in October, months before the game’s release, and was told the board had “reviewed” [Balatro] and determined that the gambling-themed disclosure was unfounded. ” Playstack stated that nothing in the game has changed since the original rating was approved.
Playstack confirms that anyone who has purchased the game can still play it, even if it has been removed from the eShop in your region.
“Rest assured, we are doing our best to get the game back on sale as soon as possible,” PlayStack said.
A similar situation also occurred in May 2023 An indie card-based game at the time joked about gambling, causing its eShop launch to be delayed.
The more positive news is, Balatero Now available on Mac After the latest update of the game.Hopefully soon, Switch users will be able to collect creepy clowns again and score big combos in one of them Best games of 2024.
.