The anonymous creator of Balatro, LocalThunk, impressed passersby at last month’s Game Developer Conference with his card skills, but nobody recognised him.
Balatro won several awards at GDC’s Game Developers Choice Awards, including Game of the Year, Best Design, Best Debut, and Innovation Award. As a result of the nominations, the game had a booth on the show floor.
LocalThunk himself played the game there, but managed to retain his anonymous status despite impressing onlookers at the booth.
“One of my fav moments from GDC – they had a booth set up to play Balatro since it was an award nominee. I watched for a bit then I gave it a go myself. Crushed a white stake run,” the developer wrote on Bluesky.
“Someone approached me as I was about to leave. ‘Wow you must have played this before!’
“‘I guess you could say that’.”
He added: “Also this was actually the first and only time I have seen strangers play my game in real life. Have yet to see Balatro in the wild. So as far as I’m concerned y’all are just Truman Show-ing me.”
one of my fav moments from GDC – they had a booth set up to play Balatro since it was an award nominee. I watched for a bit then I gave it a go myself. Crushed a white stake run
someone approached me as I was about to leave
‘Wow you must have played this before!’
‘I guess you could say that’
— localthunk (@localthunk.bsky.social) 31 March 2025 at 19:42
It’s certainly a fun anecdote from a developer wishing to remain anonymous as a result of the game’s success.
As with previous awards shows, Playstack Communications Director Wout Van Halderen collected Balatro’s wins on LocalThunk’s behalf.
In an interview last year, LocalThunk admitted he sometimes regrets Balatro’s success, despite being grateful.
“Don’t get me wrong – this has changed my life in a lot of amazing ways,” he said. “I’m so grateful. But I do miss that time before. It was just a hobby that recharged my batteries. Sometimes I think, ‘Maybe I would’ve been happier if I had never released this game to the public.'”
The correct pronunciation of the game’s name has also been revealed. Have you been pronouncing Balatro wrong?
