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Ensure

Balatro update delayed as developer preserves “hobbyist” approach to ensure this isn’t the last update the game gets

by admin September 15, 2025

Balatro was set to receive a 1.1 update this year, but its solo developer LocalThunk has pushed it back in order to preserve his “hobbyist” approach to game development.

In a statement titled “I’m slow”, the developer apologised for the delay, adding he “probably shouldn’t have announced any date”. “I feel bad for not keeping that promise, and I am sorry,” he said.

Since release, LocalThunk has been crunching alone on a balance patch and a mobile port, before taking some time out and then beginning 1.1 work slowly this year. “However, I chose to only work on the game like I did when the project began, as a hobbyist,” he said, “and it turns out that it’s a lot slower than working in crunch mode 12 hours per day like I was around launch.”

Balatro Mobile – Official Release Date TrailerWatch on YouTube

LocalThunk said the prospect of rushing the work “felt terrible”. “I am working slowly, but I like it that way,” he said.

“I have never, before Balatro, set a deadline for any of my creative projects and I now realise how important that is for my process,” he continued. “I am in a very lucky position in that I can choose to work this job however I wish, and I think the best version of ‘work’ for me is the version that makes me want to come back to my keyboard every day, healthy, and hopefully just as excited about game development 5 years from now as I am today. I don’t want 1.1 to be the last update this game gets.”

As such, the 1.1 update will be “done when it’s done”, and will be available for free across all platforms. It just won’t be this year.

He concluded: “The Balatro player in me will absolutely not allow me walk away from developing this game…Rest assured, it will happen.”

After a shaky start with ratings boards, Balatro has gone on to find phenomenal success. LocalThunk has 100 percent completed his own game, which has “equipped” him to better design the next update.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.

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September 15, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Neil Druckmann will retain “high level” role on The Last of Us Season Three to ensure it’s “as deeply faithful” as Season One

by admin September 12, 2025

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has discussed his decision to step away from the TV adapation of The Last of Us for the third season, stating he’d accomplished his “crazy goal” of elevating video games.

While he’s now returned to full-time video game development on the forthcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, he will remain somewhat involved in The Last of Us at a “very high level” to make sure it’s “as deeply faithful as Season One was”.

“I feel like that is the gold standard for this kind of adaptation, while enjoying all these beautiful expansions that happen naturally with the rest of the team and how they’re working on Season Three,” Druckmann told Variety. “So that is where my involvement will stay is at that very, very high level.”

The Last of Us Season 2 | Official Trailer | MaxWatch on YouTube

Druckmann announced his decision to step back from the TV show in July, though told Variety he made the decision when the writers’ room for Season Three was about to commence.

“I looked at what’s in front of me, what would the next season might look like,” he said, “and with all the various Last of Us things I’m working on – not just the show – with all the various games I’m working on, the biggest one that takes up most of my time is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, our next big IP for Naughty Dog and PlayStation, it felt like I could better serve all of my responsibilities if I stayed at a higher level.”

This was also having achieved a goal of elevating The Last of Us beyond players of the game.

“I felt like that story could find a bigger audience for people that will never play video games,” said Druckmann. “I wanted to elevate Naughty Dog, and PlayStation has been a home for me for 21 years now, and it’s given me all the support to tell these wonderful stories, and I wanted to elevate video games. It was such a crazy goal, but I wanted someone to watch this show and have no idea it was based on the video game, and then be like, ‘Wait, that’s based on a video game?'”

Druckmann added he’s learned a lot from his time on the show, “even just as far as the craft of making cinematic storytelling”.

“There’s so much that overlaps with my work at Naughty Dog that I felt like I took quite a bit away from that,” he said. “I think I could better serve this show and other adaptations like it in the future, having learned all this stuff – but my first responsibility, my first love, is video games, and it’s at Naughty Dog.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Druckmann stated Intergalactic would be the studio’s most ambitious game to date.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.

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September 12, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Roblox makes unrated games unplayable next month, has a plan for old favorites ‘to ensure these cherished classics are not lost’

by admin August 28, 2025

Roblox is in the midst of expanding and implementing new systems and policies around age verification and user safety, including setting a date for when it plans to restrict unrated Roblox experiences for all users. Starting on September 30, 2025, (most) unrated games will not be playable or discoverable by anyone.

When the new rules roll out next month, unrated games won’t be deleted entirely, but instead locked to a developer-only view limited to “people actively working on the experience.” That’s good news for developers who may need more time to comply with the short notice, but the decision raised concerns about rendering unrated, abandoned games entirely inaccessible.

Roblox says it has a solution for keeping “popular classics available for players to enjoy” in its updated developer forum post, explaining that its moderators “will identify notable experiences from creators who are no longer active on Roblox, and ensure they have content maturity labels.”

What counts as a “popular classic” will rely on factors like lifetime visits, recent visits, engagement, and games marked as user favorites. If you’ve got an old Roblox experience you’re worried about, the announcement included a bit of advice to advocate for its preservation:

“If there is an experience that you want to remain public, simply play or favorite that experience. This will provide us with signals on where to focus our efforts. We will provide regular updates on our progress to preserve classic Roblox content.”

Responses to its latest clarification around unrated restrictions are all over the place. What started as a restricted content policy change from last year prohibiting children under 13 from playing, searching for, or discovering unrated games has ballooned into something far-reaching. On Reddit, IAmABoredCat1590 shared a recent Roblox creator email reminding developers of the change, and responses include community concerns for smaller, abandoned games that may fly under the radar.

Oh! They’re doing it **now?** from r/roblox

That’s echoed in developer responses on the Roblox forum, too. One programmer highlighted a sentiment I’ve seen pop up a few times now, suggesting Roblox mark all old experiences 18+ by default so they’re not left unplayable if they do not meet the criteria for “popular classic.”

Roblox responded to some of the complaints, again asking active creators to complete compliance forms for every game they wish to keep active and further clarifying its preservation guidelines for inactive games:

“We understand that some of your favorite experiences were published by creators who are no longer active on Roblox. To ensure these cherished classics are not lost, we are committed to preserving all unique public experiences from these creators that have reached at least 1,000 lifetime visits.

“This is a significant undertaking that will take time. Our work begins immediately, with an initial push to preserve a large number of classics by September 30, 2025. We will continue this process until every unique public experience with over 1,000 lifetime visits as of that date has been preserved.”

The response at least outlines the bar for what counts as a legacy experience worth salvaging to the Roblox team, but inevitably means some games will disappear for good unless their creators return.

The whole thing is an ugly mess as Roblox reckons with years of accusations regarding failures to protect children from predators using the platform. And while the platform did announce earlier versions of these guidelines last year, there’s been a rapid-fire list of additions following Louisiana’s Roblox lawsuit claiming the platform “continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material.”

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August 28, 2025 0 comments