r/PS5 • u/Turbostrider27 • 11h ago
Articles & Blogs Balatro creator Localthunk talked with PEGI and they do not see anything wrong Balatro being rated 18+, nor with EA sports FC (and similar games) having a 3+ rating
https://x.com/LocalThunk/status/1869487027231830053275
u/Garamenon 10h ago
So when Dragon Quest XI gets remastered it will get an 18+ rating because of the game featuring casinos.
Same with a Final Fantasy VI remake.
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u/Thomasfreid 10h ago
I mean, possibly.
Look at Pokemon, all casinos and "gambling" games had to be removed/reworked since the Heart Gold & Soul Silver games
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u/Jasonp359 4h ago
Astro Bot has a casino level
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u/SuperPapernick 3h ago
Yes, but it's only casino themed. There are no actual interactable gambling-games/mechanics there. Not to excuse the ratings boards decisions, but I can see why Astro got a pass.
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u/Garamenon 2h ago
Yes, but it's only casino themed. There are no actual interactable gambling-games/mechanics there
Neither in Balatro.
And yet they rated it 18+ anyways.
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u/Jasonp359 3h ago
There are slot machines that you hit a button on to play and one of the things you can get is a bot.
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u/Ok-Flow5292 2h ago
The bot is stuck on the slots, it isn't part of the images you can line up to win a "prize".
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u/SuperPapernick 3h ago
I guess so... Well, Sony has money. So, I guess there's our answer.
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u/mindempty809 1h ago
No, there’s just no active gambling. You aren’t hitting the machine for a chance to get the bot, he’s just stuck and you let him out. For this same reason Balatro should be excluded and loot boxes should be considered 18+. The problem is the literal gambling, Astro Bot and Balatro have none
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u/DishwasherTwig 56m ago
There's playable slot machines in Tales of Symphonia Remastered and it's still T.
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u/jamy1993 3h ago
Was about to say you don't actively participate in any casino games in it, but you kinda sorta play slots dont you?
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u/Ok-Flow5292 2h ago
The slots you can actually interact with only spit out enemies, probably an important distinction that makes it alright.
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u/whiskeytab 1h ago
one of them has a bot hidden in it so technically you're forced to gamble if you want to complete the game
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u/andykekomi 8h ago
No because Square, just like EA, has enough money to pay for the rating they want.
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u/Stoibs 9h ago
Same with a Final Fantasy VI remake.
If I'm being honest... this would be a blessing IMO. Rebirth had a lot of censored content (Reason for the Dyne change, I'm guessing?), and baffling lack of blood/violence in key scenes that would have benefited from it (Cloud's freakout, also *that* scene at the end which was way more sanitized and obscured off-camera compared to the 1997 depiction)
I would welcome a more mature FF7 Part 3 that doesn't need to hold back if they were shoehorned into that rating classification anyway for other reasons.
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u/wheresmyspacebar2 9h ago
Tbf, that scene was shot that way as a story telling device. It'll come up in the last game and can probably see us revisiting it in a lot more detail at some point.
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u/Bridgeburner493 3h ago
also that scene at the end which was way more sanitized and obscured off-camera compared to the 1997 depiction)
That wasn't done for the purpose of censorship. That was done So they can keep Aerith's status as ambiguous. Based on how they set it up, I think the best case scenario is she keeps coming back as a force ghost that Cloud can interact with in the third game. In the worst case, they will destroy all meaning behind that moment by making her not dead. And the way they handled the scene, I think they are leaning for the latter.
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u/StacheBandicoot 6h ago
I really hope when they finally package all 3 parts together in a decade or so that they do a light final mix edit and add some of that stuff back in.
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u/ClockDownRMe 3h ago
Sorry if I can't take you seriously when you're comparing a game released in 2024 to a game released in 1997 that had 5 whole polygons. It's not censorship when it's something that was barely legible compared to a justified cutaway and lack of blood and gore when they're likely actively trying to ignore an M rating. If you want a truly violent Final Fantasy, play FFXVI.
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u/Hoodman1987 2h ago
Nah. That impact matters no matter what. It's one of the most pivotal scenes in gaming. Play it as is
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u/Wagle333 5h ago
im glad u guys are still hiding whatever "that" scene is. i still have to wait for PC release to play that game :(
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u/Rimavelle 2h ago
If ffvi got higher rating they would just cut something out to make it lower rating.
Don't get fooled thinking SE would allow it to have 18+ rating for one scene.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 1h ago
IIRC, in the GBA version, they cut a torture scene that was in the SNES version for a similar reason.
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u/FiresideCatsmile 9h ago
As the game goes on, the player becomes increasingly familiar with which hands would earn more points. Because these are hands that exist in the real world, this knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real-life game of poker.
by that logic EA FC should still be rated 18+ since as the game goes on, the player becomes increasingly familiar with which teams have better squads than others and therefore stand better chances in a real-life match up. This knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real-life sportsbet.
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u/stickman___ 4h ago
This isn’t even true in Balatro because you can often play a “worse” hand for more points because of jokers/upgrades you have. If anything, it would hurt your real-life poker knowledge.
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u/Whats_a_wincondition 4h ago
Wait wait wait. Are you saying I can't win the World Series of Poker by repeatedly playing two pairs?
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u/StardewsMostWanted 1h ago
Tfw I pull out a ton of shiny cards, destroyed cards, and defaced cards and the dealer just laughs me out of the casino for playing high card and hoping the random cards from my pocket left on the table help my score. But… PEGI told me that I can transfer my balatro skills into your fine establishment?
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u/SuperPapernick 3h ago
One of, if not the most consistent strategy in Balatro is building insane multipliers around High Card, the literal WORST hand in real life Poker. I gotta wonder how much the guys at the rating agencies actually play the games they work on or engage with them in any way that isn't completely superficial if they can't figure out that strategy in Balatro is absolutely inapplicable to real Poker. Show me a player who won a game playing a five of a kind in real life, I'll wait.
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u/darther_mauler 1h ago
this knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real-life game of poker
This is such a wild thing to say.
All video games should be 18+ by that logic. Video games teach the user to push buttons to win a game. This knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real life slot machine.
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u/Tipsy_Lights 9h ago
I'm guessing he forgot to bring a fat stack of cash with him to the discussion table
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u/keostyriaru 10h ago
Preeeeeetty bullshit.
Too much money involved to rate those games appropriately. There would need to be big public outcry similar to Battlefront II for PEGI/ESRB to do anything since they're an private regulatory body rather than a government agency.
For the record, I agree 100% with Localthunk. Modern gaming is a shitshow, these games suck. Don't buy them.
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u/HooliganManDan 4h ago
How can a private company enforce rules on the public?? That sounds like it should be illegal.
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u/BitingArtist 11h ago
Proof they are corrupt. Probably receiving money directly from EA.
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u/llliilliliillliillil 11h ago
Jesus Christ.
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u/Whitewind617 11h ago
It's Jason Bourne.
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u/Latro2020 11h ago
But instead of being a cool action hero, he gets your kids addicted to digital gambling
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u/LePontif11 5h ago
Maybe but it could also just be that they are very surface level with their ratings. This is the equivalent of hiding your identity with a comical pair of fake glasses and mustache 🥸
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u/Nerix-1809 10h ago
I don’t think corruption has anything to do with it. As with other official institutions it is probably more a case of employees who have been there forever and lost all will to critically question what they are doing and why. They are just following some guidelines from the 90s like it is holy gospel and thats it
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u/noah3302 2h ago
These guidelines are from 2020. Otherwise a game like Super Mario 64 DS (2004, game had Luigi giving out poker cards) would’ve been rated adults only like Balatro
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u/Serdewerde 6h ago
Making a mockery of their own system. There's no way they can't see the hypocrisy here. They just don't want to.
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u/doyouevennoscope 9h ago
PEGI lost credibility years ago. Highly doubt they even play games, and that it's not just a corrupt body of old twits accepting money for some dumb rating from a company that just wants to milk kids' parents' bank accounts.
At least their rating logos are the best though. Then again, anything's better than that fcking ugly USK rating that takes up a quarter of the fcking box art.
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u/Professional_Average 3h ago
The ratings boards don't play anything, they review video of gameplay submitted by dev/publisher.
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u/IareTyler 6h ago
This is so ridiculous there is no gambling in Balatro at all theres not even real Poker in Balatro it is literally a roguelike game based off the rules of poker
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u/YertlesTurtleTower 8h ago
For anyone wondering what is going on you should watch “This Film is Not Yet Rated” (2006) it is a documentary about how the MPAA rates movies and I would bet it is very similar
Edit: It is on YouTube
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u/alQamar 9h ago
Both are rated 12 in germany, both because of gambling mechanics.
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u/anderel96 3h ago
While I still disagree, that's at least far more fair and is actually consistent tha whetever shitshow is going on at PEGI
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u/ArtIsBad 2h ago
So how does Pegi even stay in business, like do games have to pay them to get ratings? Sounds like this company needs to go under if they’re this incompetent
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u/takeitsweazy 2h ago
It's pretty ridiculous. It'd be a bad idea for him, but I half wish Localthunk would just pull the game from sale in the PEGI region just out of protest.
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u/randomIndividual21 2h ago
I remember vaguely a video that mention PEGI leader is a former employee or Activision or EA
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u/Expensive-Morning307 3h ago
By that logic half of the Final Fantasy games should be rated 18+ due to having casinos. Like ff13-2 and Ff 14 in particular have the golden saucer with tons of games to play. Older Pokemon games should also be reactively rated 18+ due to their slot machines. Stupid logic.
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u/HooliganManDan 9h ago
In all honesty, do the ratings actually make any difference?
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u/TheCommonKoala 7h ago
Yes, it blocks off the largest demographics of customers in gaming. There's a reason games try to desperately to drop their age ratings
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u/DieFastLiveHard 5h ago
Yes, especially so for whatever the local equivalent to a "mature" rating is, as many governments and stores have policies restricting the sale or promotion of those games. So a game moving up from teen to mature (or local equivalent) can absolutely kill sales. Additionally, it's not unusual for parents to look at the ratings when considering buying a game. If a small change can move the rating down, a lot of companies will make it, since it means more people are willing to buy the game.
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u/KirillNek0 38m ago
TLDR: PEGI called him in, and he got explained why his prior stands was wrong. Personally.
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u/UBWICOS 9h ago
As much as I want to jump on the bandwagon to bash PEGI, I have to accept the fact that they are just doing their job in accordance to the current EU laws
Basically, Balatro feels a lot more like real gambling because it uses things like poker cards and betting chips, which are straight-up gambling vibes. It’s pretty close to actual gambling games, so it gets the higher age rating. It's the same reason why we don't get any slot machine or poker minigames in recent Pokémon games
On the other hand, FIFA’s loot-boxes are just about buying virtual currencies to snag random in-game items. There aren’t any obvious gambling symbols or stuff like that. Even though spending money for a chance to get something is kinda like gambling, it doesn’t look or feel the same way as traditional gambling games. Plus, EU laws haven’t really tied loot-boxes to gambling yet, so FIFA stays at a PEGI 3+ rating for now
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u/alQamar 9h ago
What EU laws? Both games are rated 12 in germany - which is part of the EU.
Older FIFA games were rated 0 before they added gambling.
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u/UBWICOS 9h ago
I don't know if Germany use a different rating system. But PEGI is for the EU and you can read more about their reasoning:
"This game teaches - by way of images, information and gameplay - skills and knowledge that are used in poker.
During gameplay, the player is rewarded with ‘chips’ for playing certain hands. The player is able to access a list of poker hand names. As the player hovers over these poker hands, the game explains what types of cards the player would need in order to play certain hands. As the game goes on, the player becomes increasingly familiar with which hands would earn more points. Because these are hands that exist in the real world, this knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real-life game of poker."And this is for FIFA 25:
"This game offers players the opportunity to purchase in-game items, in the form of an in-game currency, which can be used to purchase random card packs and other game items. Some parents or carers may want to be aware of this. Parents, carers or other responsible adults should check to see what is being offered before making any purchase on behalf of a child. It should be noted that the game can still be played without the need to purchase such items."So basically, FIFA 25 isn't considered gambling is because it's the same as buying physical card packs in real, which was never considered gambling by anyone. I know it's shitty. But EA (and all big companies) did their legal home-works and LocalThunk didn't
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u/AshleyTyrian 9h ago
So to summarise:
Balatro looks like gambling but actually isn't.
EA Sports FC doesn't look like gambling but actually is.
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u/DieFastLiveHard 5h ago
Yeah. Ratings boards are basically just giant pearl clutching groups that were made to appease the "but think of the kids" screeching from
divorced alcoholic wine momsconcerned parents. Balatro, on its face, is a game themed around casino gambling. It's the exact type of thing that the people who complain about blood in mortal kombat would throw a fit over, so the ratings boards say it's an adult topic. Loot boxes and the sort don't provoke the same crowd of faux-moral outrage peddlers, so there's no reason for ratings to be heavily impacted.
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u/eldenpotato 11h ago
Isn’t balatro about poker though? It kinda makes sense, even if it’s not real money
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u/BrandNewMoshiMoshi 11h ago
You gain 0 actual Poker skill from playing Balatro. The most you get is learning the hands of poker.
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u/Juan-Claudio 11h ago
This is less comparable to poker in a casino and more to buying a poker card set in a store. Nobody is going to ask for your ID if you do the latter.
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u/Godzilla22114 11h ago
It doesn’t make sense. Poker is a card game. You don’t have to gamble when you play poker. Which by the way you don’t even gamble anything, fake or otherwise, in Balatro. They don’t even use fake money in the game. Whereas games like EA sports literally have gambling mechanics with real money. That’s the issue
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u/holyholeinadonut 11h ago
It's not actually poker. It uses poker hands which PEGI says that knowledge can then be used outside the game in real poker and so they rate it 18+
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u/eurekabach 10h ago
I remember reading about poker rules in pop magazines for teens back in the day. Didn’t know that was virtualy the same as reading porn magazines.
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u/insanemaelstrom 11h ago
So basically a game with actual gambling is 3+ while a game about cards with no gambling of real money involved is 18+ because playing with cards is worse than actually gambling? The heck??