Localthunk, the mysterious developer behind poker-like sensation Balatro, has poked fun at the PEGI age rating debacle which marred its launch. The game was pulled from the PS Store after its age requirement was inexplicably raised from 3+ to 18+ for the use of "prominent gambling imagery." This snafu was ultimately sorted out (in that Balatro was allowed back on console stores, but the 18+ rating remains), but it nearly altered the Balatro story forever.
The irony is that Localthunk is so against gambling that, following the game's breakout success, they expressly stipulated in their will that the Balatro IP should never be licensed by casinos or used for that purpose. On X, the creator poked fun at the entire situation, which seems like a lifetime ago in light of the indie's success at The Game Awards. Localthunk suggested they might "add microtransactions/loot boxes, real gambling to lower that rating to 3+ like EA Sports FC 25", highlighting the hypocrisy at play.
X being what it is, the dev had to expressly stipulate that this was a joke. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, some users insist that Localthunk was actually serious. We figure that if you already have that 18+ rating, you might as well get weird with it.