Made by a single former information technology worker, a spiced-up version of virtual poker has become the video game surprise hit of the year.

Balatro, whose developer only goes by the screen name localthunk, bends the rules of poker the way only video games can, applying randomized powers to your deck that transform every game, a signature feature of the rogue genre. It has sold 2 million copies since its February release, and on Sept. 26, localthunk finally published on smartphone platforms Apple and Google as well as the Apple Arcade service.

Balatro could be described as a perfect bridge for the casual audience of Wordle addicts to more complex video game genres. The game’s accessibility relies on its use of the ground rules of poker, submitting usual hands like two-of-a-kind to royal flushes for points. Gain enough points to pass rounds and earn money, and you win the chance to include joker cards that have unique modifiers for higher scores. For example, a “Lusty Joker” will add score multipliers for played cards with hearts. Other modifiers and enhancements can be made to existing cards for even bigger scores. (A thorough tutorial in the game provides proper onboarding.)

This year has been one for viral, surprise hits in video games. Helldivers 2 surprised everyone, including its publisher, PlayStation, by becoming the year’s second best-selling game.

Meanwhile, Balatro has become a serious contender for the best game of the year among games media critical circles. It’s even winning over critics in other mediums. “Starting to think/worry that Balatro ends up my game of the year,” posted Craig Jenkins, music critic at Vulture. The worry comes when it starts to sap into people’s productivity: Keza MacDonald, the Guardian’s games journalist, had to leave her gaming device at home so that she could write up her review of the game without being distracted.

The game’s creator is also trying not to be distracted by the success of his game.

“It’s certainly incredible that people are considering my weird little game for that accolade [game of the year], but I try not to think about it too much,” localthunk told The Washington Post in an email interview. “While criticism is useful as a game developer to better hone our projects and understand how people interact with our art, it can also be a distraction.”

The praise isn’t what fulfills him or drives his work. “I really love actually making games for myself more than anything, so I’m thrilled I was even able to create Balatro in the first place and that I am able to enjoy it.”

He used to work at an IT firm doing data analytics and “light software development” before his life was upended with viral success. But now that he’s commanded an audience of millions, that time for himself has slipped away.

“Things have definitely become a lot busier and more hectic,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love that I’m able to make games for a living now, but I also really loved it as a more solitary hobby.”

The runaway, viral success means he’s had to learn how to build a business in record time. Since the February launch, he’s been scrambling with bug fixes and balance changes to the various cards.

“There have also been a lot of public relations and business-related tasks I am not used to doing, nor am I very good at them,” he said. “The mobile port has been a majority of my work time the past couple months as well.”

He knew from the start that Balatro would be a perfect fit for smartphones, but the success of it pushed up the pressure and deadline for him to strike while the iron is hot.

Balatro remains addictive because of how pleasant its user interface is, and how good the feedback feels with satisfying audio sounds to reward the player, on top of the simple pleasures of pressing buttons to see numbers go up.

“It is something I really do love about Balatro. I crafted an art style and vibe to surround the game, but beyond that, it’s almost a purely mechanic experience. There is no narrative, no lessons are learned, and it resembles solitaire as a game far more than it does Black Myth: Wukong,” he said, referring to the recent game from Chinese developers that evoked “Journey to the West” and has sold more than 18 million copies.

“That isn’t to say that critically acclaimed games aren’t ‘gamey.’ I think tons of great games offer the same type of mechanical fun as Balatro but wrap it up in a more complete package.”

Video games have matured as an artistic medium. An easy touchstone is properties like “The Last of Us,” now an Emmy-winning and popular HBO show. But despite that crossover with film, TV and books, video games are distinct from other mediums because they rely on systems and player input to function. It’s what attracts localthunk to the medium in the first place.

“That is personally what I connect with most in games. I love elegant, synergistic systems, simplicity, and it’s awesome to see that feeling echoed by players,” he said.

Online: playbalatro.com