Playstack has announced that its roguelike card game, Balatro, has encountered a rating dilemma, leading to its “temporary removal from sale on a number of digital stores in some countries on console platforms.”
In a social media post, Playstack clarified that the issue doesn’t lie with the stores themselves but rather stems from an unexpected alteration to Balatro’s age rating. The game’s rating was abruptly shifted from 3+ to 18+ by a rating board, citing concerns about “prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling.”
Currently, Balatro remains available in the US and Canada without any apparent disruptions. However, on the UK Xbox and PlayStation stores, it’s listed with a PEGI 18 rating and a descriptor for “Prominent Gambling Imagery.” Additionally, the Balatro page on the Nintendo UK website has been removed.
Despite these developments, PEGI’s website doesn’t display a rating for Balatro, and the organization hasn’t responded to inquiries regarding the game’s rating.
Playstack has vehemently refuted the allegations, stating that Balatro neither promotes nor endorses gambling. The company emphasized that the game’s developer holds an anti-gambling stance and took great care to ensure that no gambling mechanics are present in the game.
Notably, Balatro received a 3+ age rating in October, with the issue of gambling themes explicitly discussed with the rating board at the time. Furthermore, there have been no alterations to the game since it received the initial 3+ rating.
Earlier this week, PlayStack disclosed that Balatro swiftly became profitable within an hour of its release and surpassed $1 million in sales after eight hours.
In an update provided to GamesIndustry.biz, a Playstack representative addressed the ongoing situation, expressing the belief that the sudden change in ratings triggered automatic safety measures on digital stores. Consequently, most Nintendo Switch stores across Europe, as well as those in Australia and New Zealand, are currently affected.
However, Balatro has not been removed from the PlayStation or Xbox stores, suggesting that the issue may be confined to specific regions and platforms. Playstack is actively seeking confirmation and resolution to ensure that fans can resume playing the game as soon as possible.
