The anonymous developer of the indie game Balatro has opened up about his experience through a developer diary, shedding light on the pressures of game development. He described the transformative journey from a simple file named CardGame to a successful launch in February 2024. Despite winning Best Indie at The Game Awards, he opted to maintain his anonymity and personal boundaries, revealing how the intense pressures affected his mental and physical health. The diary emphasizes the emotional journey and groundbreaking moments of fulfillment he experienced while creating the game.
I have a pretty emotional moment where I feel like I did the thing I set out to do... Finally. I made the fun game I wanted to make.
This is when my sleep and heart started having issues... This was entirely because of the stress around dealing with the public, players, and the pressure to get everything done before February 2024.
The launch and reception was surreal and life changing... The last six months of development was an intense mental and physical health drain.
The pseudonym 'LocalThunk' was inspired by 'thunk,' my partner's nickname for variables in code.
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