The indie game Balatro captivated millions of players in 2024, but an experienced developer is convinced that the success was pure luck.
What kind of game is this? Balatro is an indie game by solo developer LocalThunk, released on Steam in February 2024. Additionally, the title is playable on mobile devices as well as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
- The gameplay of Balatro is a mix of poker and the fundamental principles of a roguelike deck builder. The goal is to achieve a minimum score in each round – the so-called blinds – in order to advance to the next round.
- You earn points by playing poker hands like a three of a kind or a straight. However, the required score increases with each round.
- To achieve the highest possible scores, you need to build a setup with jokers and other special cards that increases your yield. With the right setup, you can score more points with a single pair than with a royal flush.
At the Game Awards 2024, Balatro was awarded Indie Game of the Year and was also nominated for Game of the Year, though it lost to Astrobot. On Steam, it has a 96.70% positive review rate from over 120,000 reviews, making it the highest-rated game released in 2024 (via SteamDB, as of May 17, 2025). Overall, Balatro has sold over 5 million copies (via X).
Indie veteran convinced that Balatro’s success was just luck
Who is the more experienced developer? The online magazine PCGamer spoke with seasoned indie developer Dan Marshall about indie games and the success of Balatro.
Marshall founded his own development studio “Size Five Games” in 2008 and has extensive experience as an indie developer. His studio has released games such as:
- “Time Gentlemen, Please!” and “Ben There, Dan That!” – the bundle of both games has an 86% positive rating on Steam
- Lair of the Clockwork God – rated 93% positive
- Behold the Kickmen – rated 86% positive
What does the developer say about Balatro’s success? Marshall is convinced that there is no 100% correct explanation for Balatro’s success and believes that luck played a significant role:
Why did Balatro take off? You could write a million […] essays about why it took off, and none of them will be definitively right. Damn luck.
He himself only bought the roguelike when Balatro was briefly rated 18+ due to alleged gambling mechanics. “Was that helpful for them? Probably, that’s why I knew about it. Until then, I had ignored it.”
Marshall says something similar about the Steam hit Vampire Survivors. No one knows what the secret recipe behind it is. Marshall rules out the fact that it’s a good and fun game; after all, there are “plenty of good games that are fun but not nearly as successful as Vampire Survivors.”
He concludes: “Maybe the solution is just to develop a good game and then try. Hope for the best. Pray that the incomprehensible discoverability of Steam works in your favor.”
Old methods no longer work
Marshall explains in the interview that it is no longer effective for accounts with millions of followers to recommend an indie game. People simply scroll past: “People do nothing with the information they receive. They see it, skim it, and then it’s gone.” According to Marshall, this used to be different.
He sees a similar situation with the wishlist on Steam. Previously, it was an important indicator of how successful a game would be, as you would receive an email notification upon release. The email still comes, but it makes no difference now because too many games are released. “You look at it and think, ‘Screw it, that’s one of 20 games I have on my wishlist that are coming out this week.'”
Perhaps the Frankfurt-based development studio Keen Games has a tip for Marshall on how to release a successful indie game. Their survival game Enshrouded is not only popular with thousands of players but was also awarded the best game in Germany: Survival game attracts 23,000 players on Steam with new update, offers complete freedom in building, is now the best game in Germany
