Gamers Rejoice: Balatro Dev Unveils Highly Anticipated

LocalThunk, the solo developer behind the hugely successful indie game Balatro (3.5 million copies sold!), has declared Animal Well his 2024 Game of the Year. This accolade, playfully dubbed the "Golden Thunk" award, highlights Animal Well's "engrossing experience," unique style, and hidden secrets, praising its creator, Billy Basso, and calling it a "true masterpiece." Basso responded with a gracious acknowledgment.

Both Balatro and Animal Well were critically acclaimed indie hits of 2024. This mutual appreciation underscores the positive camaraderie within the indie game development community, as evidenced by fan comments celebrating the developers' supportive interaction.

Beyond Animal Well, LocalThunk's top 2024 games included several other indie titles: Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, Arco, Nova Drift, Ballionaire, and Mouthwashing. He highlighted specific aspects he enjoyed about each. Notably, Dungeons and Degenerate Gamblers, like Balatro, is a pixel art deck-building game created by a single developer.

Despite Balatro's phenomenal success, LocalThunk continues to support the game with free updates. Three "Friends of Jimbo" updates have already introduced crossover content from popular IPs such as Cyberpunk 2077, Among Us, and Dave the Diver. He's hinted at another major crossover collaboration in the works.