There is no doubt that this classification (which comes very late) will have absolutely no effect on the sales of LocalThunk's game, which exceeded 3.5 million very recently, and whose success at the Game Awards 2024 should allow it to benefit from additional growth. But it is a question of principle. In what world is a game like Balatrowhich certainly uses the image and system of Poker, would be a stronger incentive for betting games than EA Sports FC, for example, with its multiple loot boxes and random payments?
This is the main complaint of LocalThunk, which did not fail to point it out on its X profile (ex-Twitter). With a lot of irony, here he is who is legitimately offended: “ Since PEGI gave us an 18+ certification because we play with malicious cards, maybe I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling games in order to lower this certification to 3+ like EA Sports FC ».
The PEGI certification explicitly cites the use of Poker mechanics as a problem: “ Balatro learns, through images, information and gameplay, skills and knowledge used in Poker. All this knowledge could be transferred to a real game of Poker “. If this is the case, how do we explain the PEGI 12 certification of the game Texas Hold'em on DS, the PEGI 16 on Hard West II (you can play Poker), or the PEGI 12 on the game Prominence Poker ? The real problem, spotted by LocalThunk, is the lack of consistency.
« I'm much more upset about the 3+ rating of these games with real kiddie gambling mechanics than I am about Balatro having an 18+ certification. If these other games were rated correctly, I'd happily accept the crazy 18+. The red logo is pretty awesome » he indicates, specifying that the real problem lies rather in the fact that certain games (like EA Sports FC) offer mechanics much closer to betting without being sanctioned by PEGI certification.
