25.02.2025

The Pan European Game Information (PEGI) is set to reevaluate its policy of assigning automatic 18+ ratings to games featuring "simulated gambling," following the successful appeal by the developers of the game Balatro

The age restriction for Balatro in Europe has been successfully adjusted from 18+ to 12.

Earlier this year, in March, Playstack faced an issue with the rating of their roguelike card game, leading to its "temporary removal from sale on several digital platforms in certain countries," as shared by the publisher.

Originally, Playstack encountered trouble when a ratings board unexpectedly changed Balatro's age rating from 3+ to 18+. The board mistakenly believed the game featured gambling-related content, prompting the increase.

Balatro's PEGI rating stayed at 18+ until a recent appeal revealed that both Balatro and Luck Be a Landlord succeeded in having their ratings changed to PEGI 12.

As a result, PEGI announced plans to refine its classification approach for games involving gambling themes.

PEGI explained, "Currently, any promotion or education of simulated gambling results in an 18+ rating."

The board further stated that a reference group would create a more detailed classification system to consider different aspects of gambling in games. This new system will introduce the 12+ category while maintaining the existing 18+ classification for casino and betting hall simulations.

Moreover, last month, the game's solo developer, LocalThunk, revealed that Balatro had surpassed 5 million in sales, marking a significant achievement for the indie title.

gamesindustry.biz
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