Balatro: Beware of this copy of the ultra-popular game on Steam, it’s plagiarism

Like many players, you may have fallen under its spell. balatro, the latest game from the LocalThunk studio. The formula of the software is quite original, because it mixes two genres that do not have much in common, except for the love of luck: poker and roguelike.

As in the famous card game beloved by Patrick Bruel, the aim is win the bet with one or more hands (double, double double, quadruple, triple, straight, you know). Where Balatro stands out from a classic poker game is Different special cards that can radically change the outcome of a game.

For example, jokers can increase your multiplier, while trump cards can literally transform your cards, making them stronger. You would understand this The aim is to create great synergies to achieve victory… Of course, provided you have a little luck on your side.

Also read: Palworld – Be careful of clones asking for your personal data on the App Store

Balatro: barely released, already plagiarized?

Since its release on Steam and consoles, Balatro’s sales have already generated over a million dollars in revenue for the studio. As a result, the project has already borne fruit. Currently on the Valve platform, There are more than 30,000 active playersThis is a very honorable score for such a small game offered for around fifteen euros.

But like every new game crowned with popular success Plagiarism or incorrect versions appear quickly. We saw this recently in the excellent Helldivers 2 from studio Arrowhead. Discounted versions of the game even appeared on Steam. However, a huge fraud was hidden behind this attractive offer… A similar scam was detected in the game a few days ago Last periodA serious rival to Diablo and Path of Exile.

A rather suspicious title appeared on Steam

Clearly Balatro was not spared. While browsing around the Valve platform, we came across a game that caught our attention. Baptized Baluno (a title oddly enough close to the LocalThunk game), the software looks exactly like Balatro. The similarities are striking, in terms of interface, graphic style and even the principle of the game. Judge for yourself using the description: “Baluno is a roguelike deck-building game where you create stacks of cards made of color and number combinations. Discover unique special cards to create various synergies and unlock extreme final scores by adapting the rules of the game to your liking.

This reminds you of something, doesn’t it? Some may want to call this plagiarism since there are so many similarities. For now, this game, developed by Cian Moriarty (a studio unknown to the battalion and with only one title), is not yet available (April 29, 2024). Let’s add that the price has not been determined yet. It is not yet known whether the project will come into conflict with LocalThunk’s lawyers and publisher PlayStack.