“Many AAA titles have been exploiting players.” CloverPit developers discuss gambling mechanics in video games

You may remember CloverPit, the roguelike slot machine game that had a huge moment when it launched in September. Turns out it was more than just hype. Every day, thousands of players are still engaging with this creative take on a common gambling machine. The CloverPit community actively shares strategies and often tries to figure out the finer details of how the game works. As with any game of chance, players are always curious about the various probabilities.

Interview with the two developers behind the roguelike slot machine hit, CloverPit

In CloverPit, you are trapped in a room with a slot machine and an ATM. As you progress, you’ll find ways to manipulate or control what the slot machine lands on, hopefully paying off your personal debts. Unlike the other hit “gambling” roguelike, Balatro, CloverPit opts for a much more sinister style (reminding a little of Buckshot Roulette), often reaching points of psychological horror.

Recently, the team was kind enough to answer a few questions over email, including some that I may have been somewhat overambitious about asking a small team of two video game developers. However, both Matteo and Lorenzo had some great responses. We covered what other roguelikes they are playing, the effect that featuring gambling has on a video game, and possibly finally put to rest the debate between a roguelike and a roguelite.

Source: CloverPit, developer: Panik Arcade.

Matt Buckley, Gamepressure: Could you please introduce yourself to our audience? What is your name? What is your role on the team? What is your background in making games?

Related:CloverPit on PS5, Xobox or Switch? All we know about console release

Matteo & Lorenzo: We are Matteo and Lorenzo, 2 friends living in the middle of Italy. Matteo’s the programmer and Lorenzo’s the artist. We both co-designed CloverPit. We have been making small indies for a while, Lorenzo 5+ years, Matteo 15+. We released a bigger title in 2024 called Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, the first as Panik Arcade.

MB: Are there any games in particular that inspired CloverPit? Games like Luck Be A Landlord and Buckshot Roulette come to mind. Balatro was, of course, a huge game last year. Do you have a favorite (or a few favorites) other rougelike/roguelite games?

M&L: Balatro was definitely a huge inspiration! Buckshot Roulette and Inscryption for the general vibe of the game. Our favourite roguelites are Isaac, Hades, and Star of Providence, but we have played and enjoyed many others.

Source: CloverPit, developer: Panik Arcade.

MB: No pressure, but do you want to weigh in on the discussion of what makes a roguelike different from a roguelite? If you think there is a meaningful difference.

M&L: We don’t have a strong opinion on the matter. We’ve heard that roguelikes are strictly dungeon-based games with permadeath and no meta progression, but we’d be lying if we said we never mixed the two terms hahahaha.

MB: You might remember the story about LocalThunk having to deal with getting a fair age rating for Balatro due to the “perceived” gambling elements, even though there’s no actual gambling with real money in the game. Since CloverPit has a slot machine, have you experienced anything like this? Or is it less of a problem, considering the rest of the game has a darker tone anyway?

M&L: A rating lower than 18+ is usually convenient for many reasons, but we definitely expect to be rated for a mature audience, given the visually accurate representation of the Slot Machine.

Source: CloverPit, developer: Panik Arcade.

MB: Also on the topic of gambling, and I understand that you are video game developers, and perhaps aren’t totally qualified to answer this, but do you think there is space in video games to help people deal with gambling addictions by providing a safe place to play the game without losing/spending money?

M&L: We don’t have strong opinions on the matter as it can be a delicate discussion, and we don’t have the proper knowledge to answer this. Many AAA titles have been exploiting players in ways that resemble the mechanics of casinos, so it’s debatable that the game market in its current form can offer a generally safe place. Dopamine mechanisms are core to fun experiences in all games, board games as well. It’s the exploitation of such a mechanism that is dangerous, and sadly, that’s a well-known practice in the gaming market :(

MB: I’ve seen people on Steam and Reddit ask for the CloverPit soundtrack. Is this something you plan to release eventually?

M&L: That’s something we might be willing to do, but the final word is of the musician Clement Panchout :)

Source: CloverPit, developer: Panik Arcade.

MB: There are so many roguelike/roguelite games coming out on Steam these days. Is there anything in particular that helps make a game like CloverPit stand out from the crowd? What advice would you give to someone who is creating a new roguelike/roguelite game?

M&L: What we think that helped CloverPit is the fantasy it offers, plus the association with a recent popular game. We think our strong point is making players immediately understand what the game is about: breaking a Slot Machine. And anyone who has interacted at least once with such a mechanical beast has the desire to completely cheat and destroy it for a bunch of extra cash. Gambling-themed games are also going strong thanks to Balatro.

MB: Do you consider the game finished, or do you plan to continue adding content in the future?

M&L: That’s a secret heheheh, but we are definitely rebalancing and fixing stuff.

Source: CloverPit, developer: Panik Arcade.

Thanks so much to Matteo and Lorenzo at Panik Arcade, as well as Future Friends Games, for helping to set up this interview. While they didn’t spill the beans about any future updates for CloverPit, it does seem like they might have a few tricks up their sleeve eventually. But even if there is nothing planned for the future of this year’s hit gambling roguelike, I sincerely look forward to whatever the next game Panik Arcade creates ends up being.

CloverPit

September 26, 2025

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• Overview

• indie games
• gambling