Balatro is an indie roguelike published by Playstack, which was acquired by VantageCo Limited in May 2026. The game received a crossover appearance in Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts via a free update in June 2026.
Balatro, the indie roguelike published by Playstack, has seen two significant developments in recent weeks. On May 31, 2026, Yomimono reported that Playstack, the publisher behind Balatro, was acquired for approximately 24 billion yen (1.124 billion British pounds) by VantageCo Limited, a subsidiary of Integrated Media Company. Integrated Media Company owns GameSpot, Metacritic, Fandom, and Fanatical. The acquisition, announced by Playstack's parent company TruFin on May 21, involves the sale of 84.5% of Playstack shares to VantageCo, pending shareholder approval. Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott stated that the company's organization and operations will remain unchanged.
Two days later, on June 2, 2026, Yaza Games released the first major free update for Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, which includes a Balatro collaboration featuring the character Jimbo. The update also adds a sandbox gallery, transparent PNG export, work sharing via text codes, and over 200 new drawing assets. Scriptorium launched on April 17 and holds a 98% positive Steam rating. The crossover brings Balatro's audience into the medieval manuscript simulation space, though no further Balatro-specific updates or sequels have been announced in these stories.
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Yaza Games released the first major free update for Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts on June 2, 2026. The update adds a Balatro collaboration featuring Jimbo, a sandbox gallery, transparent PNG export, work sharing via text codes, and over 200 new drawing assets. The game launched on April 17 and holds a 98% positive Steam rating.
Playstack, the indie game publisher behind hits like Balatro, has been acquired for about 1.124 billion British pounds (roughly 24 billion yen). The buyer is VantageCo Limited, a subsidiary of Integrated Media Company, which owns major gaming media outlets GameSpot, review aggregator Metacritic, wiki hosting service Fandom, and PC game store Fanatical. Playstack's parent company TruFin announced on May 21 that it had conditionally agreed to sell 84.5% of its Playstack shares to VantageCo. The deal is expected to close after shareholder approval. Playstack CEO and founder Harvey Elliott stated that the company's organization and operations will remain unchanged, and that it will continue to deliver high-quality indie games. Upcoming titles from Playstack include action RPG Mortal Shell II, delivery game PACS, survival sandbox RPG Lorn Vale, and fishing game About Fishing from the developers of Arctic Eggs. The company also released the puzzle game One Move Away on May 29.