Shacknews Person of the Year 2024 - LocalThunk

Every year, hundreds of games release, and while a lot of them capture the imagination of gamers, few have had the impact of Balatro. Behind this unique take on poker stands LocalThunk, a solo developer that has managed to maintain his vision while continuing to support a game that has propelled him into the limelight. It is with great pleasure that we announced LocalThunk has earned the award for Shacknews Person of the Year 2024.

Considering Balatro takes the poker format and puts a roguelike twist on it, it should come as no surprise that it has immediately grabbed the attention of gamers. But because the underlying point system relies on poker hands, there is a connection to the popular gambling card game. LocalThunk addressed this in a post on social media noting that he “hates the thought” of his beloved game becoming a “true gambling game”. He went to such lengths as to protect the Balatro IP in his will, stating it may never be sold or licenced to any gambling company or casino. It’s an honorable and respectable position to take.

The meteoric rise to fame and the unbridled success of Balatro were not things LocalThunk was expecting. Again on social media, the developer spoke about how he assumed “like 4 of my friends and my parents” would purchase his game and that would have been “awesome.” And yet, despite the fact that Balatro has sold more than six copies, LockThunk remains true to himself.

Throughout his rise to fame, LocalThunk has continued to focus on what matters: delivering an excellent product to the players. This is evident in his ongoing support of Balatro with the Friends of Jimbo free update, patches to add new joker types, as well as crossovers with other popular games like Among Us, the Witcher, and Vampire Survivors.

LocalThunk also recognized the need to bring Balatro to other platforms, and so players received a mobile version of the game this year. What’s more, even though it’s on mobile LocalThunk has avoided and outright rejected microtransactions, an element that plagues the platform.

It has been incredible to see not only the success of Balatro, but also LocalThunk’s handling of the fame and popularity. Please join us in recognizing LocalThunk as the Shacknews Person of the Year 2024.

Be sure to read over the rest of the Shacknews Awards in our Year of the Games: 2024 feature.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler