Black Mirror may show us a variety of near-future dystopias, but at least those unfortunate to live through one of them can play Balatro.
The poker-themed roguelike Balatro became a smash hit on its release last year, selling 1m copies in its first month, and things have only gone from strength to strength for solo developer LocalThunk. Along with scooping up numerous awards, most recently including a BAFTA for best debut game, Balatro has now made an appearance on TV.
Yes, Balatro is in the new Black Mirror series, in the third episode of its seventh season. This episode is called Hotel Reverie, and its synopsis reads thus: “A high-tech remake of a classic film sends its A-list star into another dimension, where she must stick to the script if she ever wants to make it home.”
Balatro is a pastime of the A-list star’s agent. When the two are on the phone together early on in the episode, the card game can be seen on the agent’s laptop.
This moment was spotted and shared on social media, with LocalThunk quickly responding. “So uh Balatro is now canonically in Black Mirror,” the developer wrote. The show’s creator Charlie Brooker then replied with a saluting emoji.
I wonder where Balatro may show up next? Hollywood, perhaps.
Earlier this year, Balatro’s LocalThunk shared his thoughts on the AI art debate, stating “I think it does real harm to artists of all kinds”. Many believed both LocalThunk and Playstack supported AI art.
Also this year, the Balatro developer successfully appealed PEGI’s decision to classify the game as PEGI 18 due to its poker theme.