Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has been infected by Balatro, and the hit roguelike’s creator loves it: “It’s possibly the most addictive thing ever created”
Brooker is also playing Ghost of Tsushima and Dave the Diver
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The creator of the Black Mirror television series is hooked on Balatro, the roguelike indie hit whose astonishing success led toa million copies sold in just a month.
Charlie Brooker, who wrote the 2013 TV series How Videogames Changed the World and is a noted video game enjoyer, recently toldDeadlinehe’s among the legions of people this year who’ve become enthralled by Balatro.
“This is going to sound so tragic, but right now there’s a game called Balatro,” Brooker said. “It’s like poker, and it’s possibly the most addictive thing ever created. It’s currently on Nintendo Switch and Steam deck, but it’s going to be released on phones, and at that point I think humankind’s activity is going to drop about 25%. I play that in short bursts when I’m writing to reward myself. I do like Ghost of Tsushima and Dave the Diver too, but there’s loads more.”
First of all, Brooker, there is nothing tragic about playing a great indie game, and secondly I’m going to have to ‘well actually’ you and remind everyone that Balatro is also on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One as well. That said, Balatro, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dave the Diver is a trifecta of greatness that shows you have excellent taste in video games. Like, if you were stuck on an island with only three games to play for the rest of your life, that would be a really solid selection.
Naturally, Balatro creator LocalThunk took to Twitter toshare his enthusiasm over Brooker’s comments, reacting with a devious smile that suggests he’s happy to be taking over the world with his poker-themed roguelike.
Balatro can’t be sold to any gambling companies or casinos even after its creator dies, because its solo dev is so against that idea they’ve written it into their will.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
After 3 years and over 30 updates, Vampire Survivors finally has vampires - and even Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion actor is here as Dracula
Cult of the Lamb dev says the roguelike is “just like Animal Crossing” except “more realistic, since you can’t buy a house”
In a first for Dragon Age, The Veilguard director reiterates the RPG won’t have DLC as BioWare pivots to work on Mass Effect 5
