Balatro Doesn't Have the Likes of Microtransactions or In-Game Ads Because They Make Its Creator 'Want to Put My Computer in the Dishwasher'

The developer of Balatro has explained that the absence of microtransactions and ads in his viral poker game stems from how deeply frustrating he finds games that include them: "It makes me want to put my computer in the dishwasher and set it to pots and pans."

"The real reason I avoided microtransactions, season passes, ads, 100 DLCs, and all that stuff in Balatro isn’t just ethical—it’s that whenever I play games with those features, I get so fed up I literally think about dumping my computer in the dishwasher and running it on pots and pans," Localthunk wrote on Bluesky.

"I get why people add those things, but if players’ first impression of your game is being hit with a wall of irrelevant clutter, you’re wrecking your own user experience."

When asked if he was “subskeeting” the free-to-play digital card game Marvel Snap, Localthunk replied: "This isn’t about them, but I’m not letting them off the hook either lol. There’s probably a 95% chance that if a game is free-to-play, its main menu UI is more confusing than the actual gameplay."

Microtransactions remain a heated issue in gaming, with many developers and publishers accused of manipulating players through aggressive in-game stores. Regulatory bodies like Norway’s consumer council have labeled loot boxes as exploitative and predatory, and they’re banned in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands. Even some U.S. senators have pushed for bans on “greedy” in-app purchases following FTC investigations.

Just last week, Activision faced backlash after quietly inserting ads into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone’s loadout menus, a move the company later retracted, claiming it was a "feature test" published "in error."

Localthunk recently felt compelled to speak out against AI-generated art after a subreddit moderator wrongly claimed neither he nor publisher Playstack had any problem with AI-generated art. Localthunk stated: "Neither Playstack nor I support AI 'art.' I don’t use it in my game, and I believe it harms real artists across the board. This mod’s actions don’t represent how Playstack or I feel on this issue—we’ve removed them from the moderation team."

Balatro is the viral deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, uncover game-altering jokers, and trigger wild, adrenaline-fueled combos. IGN’s Balatro review gave it a 9/10, saying: "A deck-building poker roguelike of endlessly satisfying proportions, Balatro is the sort of fun that threatens to derail whole weekend plans."