Balatro has sold over 250,000 units in its first three days of release, said solo developer LocalThunk.
Its early critical and commercial success “absolutely smashed” the studio’s expectations. The milestone spans its release on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
On Steam, Balatro netted over 2,000 positive reviews within 24 hours.
“We just wanted…to say thank you to everyone who made this possible,” wrote LocalThunk. “We cannot begin to show enough appreciation for the support you’ve shown this game.”
How Balatro changed its creator
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, LocalThunk said they’ll be working on Balatro “for some time.” But they also stressed not wanting the game to consume their whole life.
Balatro development started during vacation from their then-day job in 2021. LocalThunk previously made games just for their friends, but decided this one should be public, and its first publicly available build saw a warm reception.
The positivity took them by surprise, and they admitted they “didn’t do any of the marketing things I should have. I still haven’t emailed anyone to play the game!”
In their eyes, they “lucked in” to Balatro’s current success, seeing as they “put no thought” into it. For their eventual next project, they just hope to enjoy making it as much as this game.
GamesRadar’s full interview with LocalThunk on Balatro’s development can be read here.