Last night marked a significant occasion with the BAFTA Gaming Awards where several top titles were celebrated. Among the winners was Balatro, which took home honors as the best debut game. This incredible recognition comes on the heels of PC Gamer’s designation of Balatro as the 2024 Game of the Year.

Despite the accolades, the game’s creator, LocalThunk, maintained a low profile, choosing to remain anonymous. The award on their behalf was accepted by actor Ben Starr, who portrayed the character Jimbo, a lively joker closely associated with the game.

During the acceptance speech, Ben humorously expressed:

“This is weird. Yes, it’s me. That weird live-action Jimbo from the Balatro commercial. For those of you who aren’t chronic online, this might be a rather confusing and, at first glance, suspiciously arousing moment. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly natural: Don’t fight the feeling; jokers have full sex now.”

The audience reacted with laughter, revealing a mixture of humor and confusion among the attendees. He continued with a nod to his role:

“And I can say, having met him personally, LocalThunk is really rich now, he has shoes made of gold and he thanks you for making him that way.”

This allowed Jimbo to shift towards the importance of supporting independent games, rounding out his memorable speech with a shout-out:

“Play more independent games like Animal Well. They are the lifeblood of this industry and deserve your respect. Thank you very much.”

Expect to hear more about such games in the future as LocalThunk demonstrates a passion for creativity and recognition of peers in the gaming community.