Geralt of Rivia is a well-known card game aficionado, and not just for Gwent. It turns out the famed witcher is also a big fan of Balatro—so big that he’s now actually in the game.
Geralt and a couple of familiar friends have joined Balatro in the game’s first ever “Collaboration Pack,” a crossover that adds optional face card backs from not just The Witcher 3, but also Dave the Diver, Vampire Survivors, and Among Us. The card cosmetics can be unlocked through a new “deck settings” menu that enables players to customize their decks with new cards.
“It was surreal having these conversations,” Balatro developer Localthunk said. “Some of the biggest names in gaming praising my little project and wanting to collaborate—absolutely wild. I’m glad we made it happen!”
Localthunk isn’t the only one excited about the team-up:
How about a round of… @BalatroGame? ?Balatro: Friends of Jimbo free update is now available on all platforms and contains card skins inspired by The Witcher! ⚔ pic.twitter.com/UeLIeKx2SiAugust 27, 2024
cheers to the @BalatroGame for the collab!to celebrate i destroyed all of ur cards, just like Jimbo would’ve wanted. ? https://t.co/dQn0AtgVbC pic.twitter.com/QDVZZZikO0August 27, 2024
ColLABoRATiOn? ?Balatro: Friends of Jimbo free update is out now on all platforms with card skins based on Vampire Survivors! https://t.co/PInHbnUt9MAugust 27, 2024
The crossover is really a testament to just how popular Balatro really is. These are four big games, and just as interestingly they ruin the gamut from “very indie” to “let’s fight about it indie” to “big-budget blockbuster.” It’s a bit like going to a film festival featuring Francis Ford Coppola, Atom Egoyan, and that weird kid who sits at the back of class: It’s not the sort of lineup you’re going to see very often.
The Friends of Jimbo, as the crossover pack is formally known, is the first in a promised series of cosmetic collaborations: Balatro publisher Playstack said more new cards will be released later this year. Playstack also teased more news about Balatro to come, saying today’s reveal is the second of three announcements that were promised earlier this month, the first being a “major gameplay update” that’s set to arrive in 2025. The third big announcement remains a mystery for now, but Playstack said “the last one is also going to a banger.”
(Image credit: Localthunk)
