If you've been keeping up with gaming news over the past few months, you won't be surprised to hear that LocalThunk's innovative blend of solitaire, roguelike, and deck-building, known as Balatro, has now surpassed five million sales across all platforms. Since its launch, Balatro has garnered widespread acclaim from both critics and players, earning numerous prestigious awards, including several from our own platform for its mobile version.
While it's true that other games might boast higher download and player numbers, it's crucial to highlight two significant aspects of Balatro's success. Firstly, this is a project developed by a single individual, and secondly, all these sales are premium, directly benefiting the developer and publisher, Playstack.
This milestone is particularly impressive. Although we don't have the exact breakdown of sales across platforms, we know that as of December, Balatro had reached 3.5 million sales. This means an additional 1.5 million sales have been achieved since then, largely driven by its mobile performance.
Place your betsIt would be unfair to label Balatro as the sole indie breakthrough on mobile, given the plethora of other excellent releases on the platform. However, it's undeniable that Balatro stands out as one of the most high-profile successes, especially considering the journey it has taken to achieve such popularity. The long-term sales impact remains to be seen, particularly as the game continues to receive crossover updates and further enhancements.
The question now is whether Balatro's success will boost confidence among both average mobile gamers and industry professionals in promoting indie games on mobile platforms. We certainly hope so.
If you're interested in our take on Balatro, feel free to check out our review to understand why it earned a stellar five-star rating.
