BALATRO DEV SHOOTS THEIR SHOT FOR GOTY: A TALE OF EMAIL BRAVERY

In today's episode of "Honestly Kind of Adorable Game Dev Moments," we've got some spicy pasta from an Italian reviewer claiming Balatro's developer went full "notice me senpai" with The Game Awards jury.

the leaks

According to a Twitch clip making the rounds, our card-shuffling friend apparently sent emails to TGA jurors asking them to consider nominating their game. It's giving strong "asking your crush to prom through a friend's friend" energy, and honestly? We've seen worse attempts at getting attention in this industry.

THE EMAIL IN QUESTION

The Italian reviewer spilled the beans during a stream, saying they got an email that was basically "Hey, would be cool if you considered my game for nomination uwu" - despite not even being their site's TGA jury member. Task failed successfully?

WHY IT'S KINDA WHATEVER

Let's be real here - in an industry where AAA publishers spend more on marketing than some countries' GDPs, a solo dev sending hopeful emails is about as scandalous as putting pineapple on pizza (sorry, Italian friends). At least they're shooting their shot instead of hiring a PR firm to do it for them.

Besides, Balatro's actually a pretty neat game. Is sending nomination plea emails a bit cringe? Maybe. But in the grand scheme of gaming industry shenanigans, this is like being shocked that water is wet.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Sometimes you just gotta respect the hustle, even if it's a bit awkward. And hey, at least they're passionate about their game. Could've been worse - they could've announced it as an NFT project.