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Balatro wins formal appeal to reclassify poker game as PEGI 12 - Related to destiny, no,, is, 12, space

Balatro wins formal appeal to reclassify poker game as PEGI 12

Balatro wins formal appeal to reclassify poker game as PEGI 12

Balatro, the poker-themed roguelite, has successfully appealed PEGI's decision to classify it as PEGI 18 and has now been recategorised as suitable for players aged 12 and up.

About a year ago, developer Localthunk commented on PEGI's perceived mishandling of the game's rating after it was pulled from sale in some countries due to a "mistaken belief that the game 'contains prominent gambling imagery and materials that instructs about gambling'", stating "it is what it is".

"The PEGI 18 rating for the game Balatro has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing," the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) organisation announced on its website earlier today.

"The Complaints Board concluded that, although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating."

Similarly, Luck Be A Landlord has also been reclassified as PEGI 12.

"At this moment, any teaching or glamorisation of simulated gambling automatically leads to a PEGI 18 rating," the ratings board stated.

"On the basis of these appeals, the PEGI Experts Group will develop a more granular set of classification criteria to handle gambling themes and the simulation, teaching and glamorisation of gambling in different age categories, which will now include 12 but also keep 18 as an age category for games that simulate gambling typically played in casinos and betting halls."

Balatro lately passed 5m copies sold. That's more than double the sales since last August, when the game passed 2m copies sold. Since then, it's released on mobile and has seen a surge in popularity following its multiple wins at last year's The Game Awards.

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Destiny 2 bug is so popular, Bungie turns it into a feature

Destiny 2 bug is so popular, Bungie turns it into a feature

Bungie has turned a Destiny 2 bug that mistakenly made class-locked Exotic weapons available to all into a feature.

Whilst acknowledging the team "won't always look at weird bugs and decide to support them as a feature", Bungie admitted that class lockouts for the Exotic Glaives and a handful of swords were "mistakenly removed" has caused so many "great celebrations [...] we're going to let this ride".

"We've been seeing some great celebrations with the removal of these constraints. Our first reactions were focused more towards fixing the issue as we want to retain strong class-based fantasies within Destiny, and the removal of class locks muddies the water a bit," the team wrote in Bungie's latest modification blog.

"As an example, it's a bit weird to see a Warlock or a Hunter spawning a mini-bubble or seeing a Titan running like a ninja. After some discussions between team members, we've arrived at a new decision: we're going to let this ride. A fun example of a bug becoming a feature."

Interestingly, the breaking of class boundaries means animations may "look a bit weird", but again, Bungie's looking on the bright side and suggested this would be fun for videos and art.

That expressed, the studio's goal is to "ensure that [the Glaives] feel most powerful on the class they were originally designed for", so it's still in Guardians' interest to equip the Glaives designed for each individual class.

Bungie's all-new IP, codenamed Gummy Bears, is a team-based competitive MOBA that has now been handed over to a brand-new PlayStation studio.

In other related news, almost exactly a year since it was reported Bungie delayed its sci-fi extraction shooter Marathon into 2025, the studio released a gameplay-free developer enhancement saying the game is "on track", albeit a "little early to show" - and that it'll "reveal a lot more" later this year.

Last week, Sony responded to former Destiny 2 and Marathon reboot director Christopher Barrett's $200m USD wrongful dismissal lawsuit, detailing Barrett's alleged "disturbing communications" with female subordinates - including "sexually charged games of Truth or Dare".

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Balatro, the poker-themed roguelite, has successfully appealed PEGI's decision to classify it as PEGI 18 and has now been recategorised as suitable fo......

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No, Space Marines 2 is not going to become a live-service game

No, Space Marines 2 is not going to become a live-service game

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 developer and publisher Saber and Focus has acknowledged fans' "cold" response to recent changes, stressing to players they were "not looking to transform Space Marine 2 into a full live service game".

After introducing a new way for players to unlock cosmetic items, the team acknowledged player "FOMO" but assured the community that the items would be available "for everyone" "later", expecting only "the most dedicated players" able to unlock items early.

"We have noted that the Community Events have received cold feedback since we introduced them as an additional way to unlock cosmetic items," the teams at Saber and Focus wrote in a joint modification.

"We saw that many of you mentioned FOMO generated by the events. Rest assured, we are not looking to transform Space Marine 2 into a full live service game. The items available through events WILL be available later, for everyone. We want Community Events to be a way to unlock the items in advance, for the most dedicated players, and not to be a source of frustration and stress for everyone.

"However, that means we must provide a smooth experience in unlocking stated items, which has not been the case so far," the statement added. "We deeply apologise for the trouble, and are currently working on a simplified process to unlock the items, to make the experience less constraining."

Elsewhere in the enhancement, Focus confirmed there's still "a bit of a wait" for Patch 7, but [website] Datavault enhancement released earlier this month ushers in new free and season pass content, as well as new packs, maps, perks, and QoL improvements.

Space Marine 2 in recent times topped five million players.

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Market Impact Analysis

Market Growth Trend

2018201920202021202220232024
6.0%7.2%7.5%8.4%8.8%9.1%9.2%
6.0%7.2%7.5%8.4%8.8%9.1%9.2% 2018201920202021202220232024

Quarterly Growth Rate

Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024
8.5% 8.8% 9.0% 9.2%
8.5% Q1 8.8% Q2 9.0% Q3 9.2% Q4

Market Segments and Growth Drivers

Segment Market Share Growth Rate
Console Gaming28%6.8%
Mobile Gaming37%11.2%
PC Gaming21%8.4%
Cloud Gaming9%25.3%
VR Gaming5%32.7%
Console Gaming28.0%Mobile Gaming37.0%PC Gaming21.0%Cloud Gaming9.0%VR Gaming5.0%

Technology Maturity Curve

Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:

Innovation Trigger Peak of Inflated Expectations Trough of Disillusionment Slope of Enlightenment Plateau of Productivity AI/ML Blockchain VR/AR Cloud Mobile

Competitive Landscape Analysis

Company Market Share
Sony PlayStation21.3%
Microsoft Xbox18.7%
Nintendo15.2%
Tencent Games12.8%
Epic Games9.5%

Future Outlook and Predictions

The Game Balatro Wins landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:

Year-by-Year Technology Evolution

Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:

2024Early adopters begin implementing specialized solutions with measurable results
2025Industry standards emerging to facilitate broader adoption and integration
2026Mainstream adoption begins as technical barriers are addressed
2027Integration with adjacent technologies creates new capabilities
2028Business models transform as capabilities mature
2029Technology becomes embedded in core infrastructure and processes
2030New paradigms emerge as the technology reaches full maturity

Technology Maturity Curve

Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:

Time / Development Stage Adoption / Maturity Innovation Early Adoption Growth Maturity Decline/Legacy Emerging Tech Current Focus Established Tech Mature Solutions (Interactive diagram available in full report)

Innovation Trigger

  • Generative AI for specialized domains
  • Blockchain for supply chain verification

Peak of Inflated Expectations

  • Digital twins for business processes
  • Quantum-resistant cryptography

Trough of Disillusionment

  • Consumer AR/VR applications
  • General-purpose blockchain

Slope of Enlightenment

  • AI-driven analytics
  • Edge computing

Plateau of Productivity

  • Cloud infrastructure
  • Mobile applications

Technology Evolution Timeline

1-2 Years
  • Technology adoption accelerating across industries
  • digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
3-5 Years
  • Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
  • new digital business models emerging
5+ Years
  • Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
  • emergence of new technology paradigms

Expert Perspectives

Leading experts in the gaming tech sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:

"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."

— Industry Expert

"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."

— Technology Analyst

"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."

— Research Director

Areas of Expert Consensus

  • Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
  • Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
  • Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
  • Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development

Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)

In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing gaming tech challenges:

  • Technology adoption accelerating across industries
  • digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream

These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.

Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)

As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:

  • Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
  • new digital business models emerging

This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.

Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)

Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:

  • Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
  • emergence of new technology paradigms

These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.

Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties

Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of gaming tech evolution:

Technological limitations
Market fragmentation
Monetization challenges

Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.

Alternative Future Scenarios

The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:

Optimistic Scenario

Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact

Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.

Probability: 25-30%

Base Case Scenario

Measured implementation with incremental improvements

Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.

Probability: 50-60%

Conservative Scenario

Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption

Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.

Probability: 15-20%

Scenario Comparison Matrix

FactorOptimisticBase CaseConservative
Implementation TimelineAcceleratedSteadyDelayed
Market AdoptionWidespreadSelectiveLimited
Technology EvolutionRapidProgressiveIncremental
Regulatory EnvironmentSupportiveBalancedRestrictive
Business ImpactTransformativeSignificantModest

Transformational Impact

Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.

The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.

Implementation Challenges

Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.

Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.

Key Innovations to Watch

Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.

Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.

Technical Glossary

Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.

Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the security threats and defensive measures discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.

Filter by difficulty:

platform intermediate

algorithm Platforms provide standardized environments that reduce development complexity and enable ecosystem growth through shared functionality and integration capabilities.

AR intermediate

interface