Balatro was set to receive a 1.1 update this year, but its solo developer LocalThunk has pushed it back in order to preserve his “hobbyist” approach to game development.
In a statement titled “I’m slow”, the developer apologised for the delay, adding he “probably shouldn’t have announced any date”. “I feel bad for not keeping that promise, and I am sorry,” he said.
Since release, LocalThunk has been crunching alone on a balance patch and a mobile port, before taking some time out and then beginning 1.1 work slowly this year. “However, I chose to only work on the game like I did when the project began, as a hobbyist,” he said, “and it turns out that it’s a lot slower than working in crunch mode 12 hours per day like I was around launch.”
LocalThunk said the prospect of rushing the work “felt terrible”. “I am working slowly, but I like it that way,” he said.
“I have never, before Balatro, set a deadline for any of my creative projects and I now realise how important that is for my process,” he continued. “I am in a very lucky position in that I can choose to work this job however I wish, and I think the best version of ‘work’ for me is the version that makes me want to come back to my keyboard every day, healthy, and hopefully just as excited about game development 5 years from now as I am today. I don’t want 1.1 to be the last update this game gets.”
As such, the 1.1 update will be “done when it’s done”, and will be available for free across all platforms. It just won’t be this year.
He concluded: “The Balatro player in me will absolutely not allow me walk away from developing this game…Rest assured, it will happen.”
After a shaky start with ratings boards, Balatro has gone on to find phenomenal success. LocalThunk has 100 percent completed his own game, which has “equipped” him to better design the next update.
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