Balatro wins the case for the PEGI 12 rating

, by Thibaut

Balatro wins the case for the PEGI 12 rating

While Balatro has been a real success story since its launch in February 2024, the European PEGI rating system has really stood in its way.

LocalThunk's game was given a PEGI 18 rating, which resulted in it being withdrawn from sale in certain countries. The organization judged that the title contained elements relating to gambling and could incite users to play such games, when, in reality, Balatro is just a poker-based single-player roguelite in which there's no real money involved.

The developer had lodged a complaint, which was finally upheld by Pan European Game Information.

"The PEGI 18 rating for the game Balatro has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing."

"The Complaints Board concluded that, although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating."

Source: pegi.info

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