Balatro bumped from some console storefronts due to ratings change

Playstack wrote that the change happened “due to a mistaken belief that the game ‘contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling.’” Playstack went on to vehemently deny that Balatro contains gambling of any kind, affirming that its developer “is staunchly anti-gambling.”

In an email to The Verge, Playstack PR manager Wout van Halderen went into a bit more detail about the affected consoles and countries, writing, “Most Nintendo Switch stores across Europe are temporarily affected, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.” Storefronts in Asia are also being monitored, but Playstack hasn’t confirmed if they’re also impacted.

Van Halderen also wrote that Playstack is working to get the game back up in the affected markets as soon as possible.

“The logical first step is to get the game back with the current 18+ rating and take it from there,” he wrote. “This could mean a patch with updated ratings or an additional look through certification.”

Despite this hiccup with Balatro, Playstack wrote in its statement that it doesn’t foresee PC storefronts being affected, and the game is still currently available on Steam.