Balatro Releases "Friends of Jimbo 3" Concluding an Epic Year

Since its launch in February 2024, Balatro has experienced unprecedented success, selling over 3.5 million copies across multiple platforms, including PC, consoles, and mobile devices. The unique blend of poker mechanics and roguelike elements has captivated such a vast swath of gamers that it has earned itself a nomination for Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards, a nomination that represents its incredible impact on the industry. 

The poker roguelike developed by LocalThunk, continues its unofficial reign as indie darling of the year with the release of the "Friends of Jimbo 3" update yesterday, December 12th. This free expansion introduces eight new card skins inspired by equally beloved titles such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, Don't Starve, Enter the Gungeon, Cult of the Lamb, 1000xRESIST, Potion Craft, Shovel Knight, and Warframe, enabling players to further personalize their decks. The announcement was accompanied by a live-action trailer in which voice actor Ben Starr stars as the iconic character Jimbo laughing maniacally (and probably having a blast) as he showcases the new card designs available to players. 

Each installment of the "Friends of Jimbo" series has expanded the appeal of the game to fans of other franchises in a fun and creative way. While other card games have certainly seen success in offering virtual sleeves, Balatro is cornering the market in full collaboration with other games. Two companies working together like this often includes a lot of headaches and red tape, so how is Balatro able to churn out these collaborations at this speed and volume? After a quick Google search on patients that turned into a deep dive into the origination of card games, my tentative conclusion is that because Balatro builds its gameplay off of cards that have been part of the public domain for centuries the removal of a patented element makes it much more appealing for other companies to lend out the likeness of their characters and game. That, or they’re just also big fans of the familiar, yet innovative game. Either way, everyone wins!

The game's success has also begun to lead to crossovers on the other side of the collaboration. Cyberpunk 2077's recent Update 2.2 introduced a hidden quest involving Balatro, triggered by discovering graffiti of Balatro's Joker Mascot around Night City. Since this is so new, I'll leave out additional details to not spoil anything, but the quest will earn gamers some very cool collaborative items within the game! It's not every day that we see collaborations take place on both sides, especially for a game so fastly different to Balatro as Cyberpunk 2077. 

Despite its achievements, Balatro's anonymous solo developer, LocalThunk, has expressed mixed feelings about the game's overwhelming success. He confessed in an interview that game development was initially a personal hobby, and the ensuing attention has been both transformative and stressful. He admitted to sometimes wondering if he would have been happier had he never released the game, though he remains grateful for the positive changes it has brought to his life. Even so, he has a humorous response to the thought of ever making another game:

"If I were to make another game after Balatro, which I'm not really thinking about right now, it would be really cathartic to make it and not show anyone. Put it in a folder on my desktop and leave it there. Just for me."

The sudden stressful success of a personal side project created to recharge carries a powerful irony that I’m sure anyone would find overwhelming, and although he may have mixed feelings, he’s still working on new content. Players can anticipate a major gameplay update slated for 2025, promising to introduce new ideas and strategies to enrich the Balatro experience. 

If we’ve learned anything from the incredible success of 2023’s GOTY, Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s that games developed in the spirit of enjoyment and personal independent interest can and will be successful. Whether it won this year's GOTY title or not, Balatro has made an unforgettable impact on the industry that won't soon be forgotten. 

What game would you like to see collaborate with Balatro? Let me know!