CD Projekt dev explains how Geralt ended up in Balatro, and the answer will shock you: CD Projekt devs really like Balatro

Image of Witcher 3 card backs in Balatro

(Image credit: Localthunk)

"Geralt is in Balatro now," we wrote yesterday following the announcement of the Friends of Jimbo update, a big cosmetic crossover that brought The Witcher 3, Dave the Diver, Among Us, and Vampire Survivors into the game. But Geralt in Balatro—how does something like that even happen? It turns out that if you make a really cool game that everyone loves, some people are just going to want to work with you—and a lot of folks at CD Projekt are big Balatro fans.

"I often evangelize video games at work," CD Projekt's global PR director Radek Grabowski tweeted (via GamesRadar). "I did it with Balatro, getting many colleagues onboard, including the amazing folks who run CDPR’s partnerships. Meanwhile, a friend from Playstack DM’d me an idea, which later became Friends of Jimbo. Perfect timing—the rest is history."

I often evangelize video games at work. I did it with Balatro, getting many colleagues onboard, including the amazing folks who run CDPR’s partnerships. Meanwhile, a friend from Playstack DM’d me an idea, which later became Friends of Jimbo. Perfect timing – the rest is history. — (Image credit: Radek Grabowski (Twitter))

Grabowski also revealed that Balatro's Witcher 3 card backs were created by CD Projekt artist Olgierd Ciszak, who's previously worked on Gwent, Thronebreaker, and Cyberpunk 2077.

The Witcher cards for Balatro were created in-house by one of CD PROJEKT RED’s talented artists, Olgierd Ciszak. ✨ They’re true gems, and I love them. pic.twitter.com/tV8M1I1J0LAugust 27, 2024

"Working on this was a remarkable experience," Grabowski tweeted. "Having done video games PR for more than 10 years and seeing this collaboration come to fruition was truly inspiring. Five gaming companies working toward the same goal, driven by passion and companionship. Thank you, friends!"

Playstack PR manager Wout van Halderen, who may or may not have been the friend Grabowski mentioned, described the collaboration as "a career highlight."

"The industry might be competitive, but behind it all are just people who love games and that shared passion is what makes these types of collaborations possible," van Halderen tweeted.

Poncle lead partnership manager Geo Morgan also threw a shout-out to all involved, saying "it's been truly lovely." Grabowski seemed to agree.

pic.twitter.com/pIMbdidRJRAugust 27, 2024

It is lovely, isn't it? It's also apparently just the start: Balatro publisher Playstack said the Friends of Jimbo update is just the first in a planned series of cosmetic crossovers that will see more cards released later this year. There's also one more Balatro announcement still to come of the three that were promised earlier in August, following the tease of a major gameplay update for Balatro coming in 2025 and, of course, the Friends of Jimbo update—we'll let you know when we know.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.