Balatro Faces Ratings Issues

According to Playstack, the publisher of Balatro, the game has encountered a ratings issue, resulting in its temporary removal from sale on several digital stores in certain countries on console platforms. This decision was made in response to an unexpected overnight change to the game's age rating by a ratings board, which claimed that the game 'contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling.' However, Playstack asserts that this is a mistaken belief, as the game does not allow or encourage gambling. As of now, Balatro is still available in the US and Canada, but its availability has been affected in the UK, with the Xbox and PlayStation stores listing it with a PEGI 18 rating. The game's page on the Nintendo UK website has been taken down. Playstack has expressed its disagreement with the ratings decision, stating that the game was developed with anti-gambling principles in mind and does not feature any gambling mechanics. The company had previously discussed the issue of gambling themes with the ratings board when the game received a 3+ age rating in October. Despite the controversy, Balatro has proven to be a commercial success, becoming profitable within an hour of its release and topping $1 million in sales after eight hours. Playstack is currently working to resolve the issue and expects the game to return to Nintendo's storefronts in Europe, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand soon.