There are no photos or videos of LocalThunk, an anonymous computer programmer who lives in the vast and desolate prairies of Canada’s Saskatchewan province, far from Silicon Valley.
His poker-inspired video game “Balatro,” however, has proved wildly popular, winning three prizes at the prestigious 2024 Game Awards, taking both the industry and the creator himself by surprise.
“When I started making the game I wasn’t even thinking of publishing it,” he said in an email to AFP.
The game went on to sell more than 3.5 million copies, and was named in several rankings as one of the best games of the year.
“Balatro” is a deck-building game that allows players to improve their hand of cards using various strategies, including “cheating.” Similar to poker, players can use a variety of “jokers” to rack up points.
A community of enthusiasts has quickly turned “Balatro” into a cult hit. It has …