Comments on Balatro Developer Update 1.1 progress

Developer LocalThunk recently confirmed that they are still actively working on it Balatro 1.1 Update. This official comment comes via a new blog post on LocalThunk's website celebrating the event BalatroA second birthday by shedding more light on a developer's life as a student.

Back in August 2024, LocalThunk announced Balatro The future will receive a “major gameplay update,” which will “bring new ideas and strategies to the game.” After this it became known as Balatro1.1 update, and it was originally scheduled for a 2025 release. But in September 2025, LocalThunk confirmed via a blog post titled 'I'm Slow' that the 1.1 update would not be released until the end of the year. LocalThunk explained that they are “hobby developers at heart” and that they only want to spend a few hours rather than spending 12 hours a day working on the 1.1 update, as if they were on the full game before the February 2024 release. To avoid disappointed fans, LocalThunk has asked for a new release window BalatroThe 1.1 update only “when it's done.”

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LocalThunk gives official statement on Balatro 1.1 update

Published on February 20, 2026 Balatrothe second anniversary of LocalThunk's latest blog post ends with a short message from the developer, “PS yes I'm still working on 1.1.” This is obviously a very straightforward statement that doesn't shed any new light on the update or its content, but this is the first official statement regarding the update given by LocalThunk. Balatro1.1 delayed to September 2025.

Who is that character?

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Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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LocalThunk reflects on college life and their first video game project

The vast majority of LocalThunk's most recent blog posts see the developer share details of their university education. Start with a blog post Balatro “They just didn't have the passion for it,” says the creator, openly discussing his decision to drop out of an engineering degree during his final year. Instead, LocalThunk will sign up for a computer science degree because they took an introductory class a few semesters ago and found a love for programming. They go on to describe their “obsession” with creating various programs – projects that would see them working late into the night and often into the early hours of the next morning. In LocalThunk's own words, “It was the best time of my life.”

LocalThunk then shares details of their first video game project, inspired by a “land grab simulation”. Risk and Europa Universalis. The developer continued to work on this ambitious project full-time at his university, writing code in the back of the classroom and during his part-time jobs. While the game was never completed and was only occasionally shown to a few friends and family members, LocalThunk says that working on it gave them a sense of creative freedom so they kept game development as a hobby years later.

Concluding with LocalThunk's blog post Balatro The developer is reflecting on the version of himself that the strategy game tried to create years ago. They say that if they could have warned their past selves about everything on the horizon, they're not sure what they could have said to properly prepare them. Just before it is confirmed Balatro With the 1.1 update still in active development, LocalThunk shares this piece of emotional introspection:

“With all the success, stuff, attention, heartache, fear, stress, and joy I've had since creating Balatro, at least that old version of me is still there. Last night I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning drawing pixel art, writing code, and listening to music in my quiet home. Open a notebook of ideas next to me, hand over this cup to all the students… stay up too late.”