LocalThunk, the Canadian one-man studio behind the hit digital card game Balatro, has won in the “Delight and Fun” category at the 2025 Apple Design Awards ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers conference (WWDC) beginning June 9.
The developer shared a category award with the language learning tool CapWords from China-based HappyPlan Tech. The two beat four other finalists, including larger companies like Ubisoft (for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown) and indie publisher Panic (for Thank Goodness You’re Here).
“All you acting like Balatro is the only thing to come from Regina … it’s not even the biggest GAME.”
LocalThunk,
Balatro developer
Balatro is a hybrid card game that merges elements from deck-building, poker, and solitaire with “roguelike” role-playing games like Hades, where the challenge is to repeat and extend runs through procedurally-generated challenges. LocalThunk released the title on Windows in February 2024 before expanding to the Mac in March that year. It came to mobile platforms (including Android and iPhone) in September, when it also joined the Apple Arcade game subscription service.
The game proved a quick success and had sold over 5 million units by January 2025. It won Game of the Year at the Game Developers Conference’s (GDC) Game Developers Choice Awards, and received nominations for similar prizes at The Game Awards in December 2024 as well as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) gaming ceremony this April.
BetaKit has asked LocalThunk about the impact of the award. Originally based in Regina, Sask., the developer has chosen to remain pseudonymous to provide more “freedom” in his work style, according to a spokesperson from publisher and marketing firm Playstack. That company collects awards on LocalThunk’s behalf.
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The creator indirectly downplayed the award in an X post, noting that the 1930s-inspired animated game Cuphead came from the Regina-born Moldenhauer brothers, who founded Studio MDHR.
“All you acting like Balatro is the only thing to come from Regina … it’s not even the biggest GAME,” he said.
Since 1997, Apple has used its design awards to showcase apps that make strong use of its platforms. The announcement is often timed around WWDC to inspire developers learning about major software updates at the conference. Winners have ranged from productivity apps like Adobe Illustrator through to major games like Warcraft III. The categories have evolved over time, with the current structure largely in place since 2021.
As the BetaKit Podcast noted in February, Canada is a major hub for video game development. In addition to indie breakthrough creators like LocalThunk and Studio MDHR, the country home to larger developers like Bioware (best known for Mass Effect) and key divisions of global heavyweight publishers like EA and Ubisoft.
Feature image courtesy of Balatro