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International Business Times

World

Daphne LEMELIN

Secretive Game Developer Codes Hit 'Balatro' In Canadian Prairie Province

LocalThunk Video Game Canada Saskatchewan Silicon Valley

While poker-inspired mobile video game 'Balatro' has become a massive hit and won multiple awards, its creator remains an anonymous computer programmer working in the Canadian prairie (Credit: AFP)

There are no photos or videos of LocalThunk, an anonymous computer programmer who lives in the vast and desolate prairies of Canada's Saskatchewan province, far from Silicon Valley.

His poker-inspired video game "Balatro," however, has proved wildly popular, winning three prizes at the prestigious 2024 Game Awards, taking both the industry and the creator himself by surprise.

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