Sorcerous cardgame Balatro and slot machine RPG Luck Be A Landlord have been reclassified as fit for people aged 12

Last year, the publisher and developer of popular card game Balatro found themselves in an unusual argument with a ratings board after Balatro received an 18+ rating. But today, Balatro successfully won that appeal in Europe,

Indie games Balatro and Luck Be a Landlord have had their PEGI ratings changed from 18 to 12 following appeals from their respective publishers.

The PEGI board has announced that it has reversed its decision to classify Balatro with a PEGI 18 rating and will instead have a PEGI 12 rating. The game has a E10+ rating in North America, making its original PEGI 18 classification in Europe strange.

The Pan European Game Information firm's website announced that not only have Localthunk and common sense prevailed in the end (thanks, Eurogamer ), but the ordeal has resulted in systemic change for future games: "The PEGI 18 rating for the game Balatro has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing.

Since then, however, Balatro's Pan European Games Information (PEGI) rating remained at 18+, until an appeal published earlier today revealed both Balatro and Luck Be a Landlord had successfully lobbied to have the 18+ PEGI classifications on both games lowered to PEGI 12.

The creators of Balatro, voted Best Independent Game at last year’s Game Awards and Polygon’s 2024 Game of the Year, have successfully appealed European rating board PEGI’s decision to slap an 18+ label on the indie darling.

Balatro, the poker-themed roguelite, has successfully appealed PEGI's decision to classify it as PEGI 18 and has now been recategorised as suitable for players aged 12 and up. About a year ago, developer Localthunk commented on PEGI's perceived mishandling of the game's rating after it was pulled from sale in some countries due to a "mistaken