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 received widespread acclaim from both critics and gamers, earning numerous prestigious awards, particularly in its mobile version.
While it's true that these numbers might pale in comparison to some other games in terms of downloads and player counts, it's crucial to consider two significant aspects: firstly, Balatro is a project developed by a single individual, and secondly, all these sales are premium, benefiting both the developer and publisher Playstack directly.
This milestone is indeed remarkable. Although we don't have the precise breakdown of sales across platforms, we know that as of December, Balatro had reached 3.5 million sales, meaning an impressive 1.5 million additional sales have been recorded since then, primarily on mobile.
**Place your bets**
It wouldn't be fair to label Balatro as the sole indie success story on mobile, given the plethora of excellent games released 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 game's future sales performance remains to be seen, especially as it continues to evolve with crossover updates and more.
The question now is whether Balatro's success will bolster confidence among both casual mobile gamers and industry professionals in promoting indie games to mobile platforms. We certainly hope so.
If you're interested in our take on Balatro, feel free to check out our review and discover why it earned a stellar five-star rating.
