Apparently, the correct way to pronounce "Balatro" is whatever sounds good to you

Publisher Playstack and developer LocalThunk are living the dream right now, as their release of Balatro has been a humungous success. The game became profitable in its first hour of sale, reached $1 million in revenue in the first 8 hours, and sold over 250k units within 72 hours. Without a doubt, Balatro is a bona fide hit, and with so many new fans out there, certain questions keep popping up.

Apparently, the biggest question pertaining to Balatro is about the game’s name itself. People want to know how exactly you’re supposed to pronounce the name, and thankfully those tied to the game have imparted some wisdom.

Polygon spoke to Balatro developer LocalThunk, and they’ve got an answer that is sure to anger some and please others. According to them, the correct pronunciation of Balatro is “whatever makes people happy.” In other words, say whatever the hell you want and that’s just fine by the game’s creator!

Two other options for pronunciation were shared by the game’s publisher, Playstack. They say you can go with the Latin pronunciation, which is phonetically sounded out as BAH-lah-troh. The third and final way apparently comes from Latin teachers, and it is quite close to what LocalThunk says: “As long as you pronounce it with confidence, it is correct!”

Merging the timeless charm of poker with strategic deck-building elements, “Balatro” promises an engaging gameplay experience that is both nostalgically familiar and refreshingly new. The strategic twist of joker cards in the game adds an unexpected layer of excitement, broadening its appeal to a diverse range players.