itch.io

itch.io
Screenshot
A screenshot of Itch.io in January 2016
Type of site
Digital distribution, indie game distribution
Available inEnglish
OwnerLeaf Corcoran
URLitch.io
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional (required to upload content, comment, and join game jams)
LaunchedMarch 3, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-03-03)
Current statusActive

itch.io (stylized in all lowercase) is a website for users to host, sell and download indie video games, indie role-playing games, game assets, comics, zines and music. Launched in March 2013 by Leaf Corcoran, the service hosts over 700,000 products as of April 2023.

Itch.io allows users to host game jams, events where participants have limited time to create a game. Itch.io also allows multiple users to sell their products together in "bundles".

History

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In 2012, an American hobbyist programmer named Leaf Corcoran created his own programming language, "MoonScript", and started making games in it, but had nowhere to distribute them.[1] Steam, the leading video game distribution platform, had implemented a greenlight system for games based on community voting. Corcoran decided to create a more open marketplace for indie games in MoonScript, inspired by Bandcamp's model.[2][3] He started coding in January 2013 and the website was launched on March 3,[4] on his unused domain name itch.io. However, it attracted little attention at first and mostly served as his personal repository.[1] Itch.io started to become noticed through his participation in the game jam Ludum Dare, and so Corcoran added contest-hosting tools to the platform. In early 2014, Itch.io hosted a Flappy Bird–themed Flappy Jam after the popular game was removed from the App Store. It attracted hundreds of submissions and received media coverage.[2] At the end of the year, Corcoran said that he had lost over $8,000 running Itch.io. It had been a one-man operation the whole way.[4]

By 2015, Itch.io had become established as a dedicated platform for indie developers.[5] By June, it had paid over $393,000 and hosted over 15,000 creations, a figure which had tripled over the previous nine months.[6] A desktop application for Itch.io was released in early 2016.[5] By February 2017, Itch.io had reached five million game downloads.[2]

In 2021, during the lawsuit Epic Games v. Apple, Epic Games protested that Apple was unwilling to host competing stores on Apple's App Store. Itch.io had been added to the Epic Games Store shortly before, which commentators saw as an attempt to demonstrate that they did not do the same. Apple's lawyers argued that Epic indirectly facilitated access to games that they have not vetted by drawing attention to "unspeakable games" with sexualized content on Itch.io.[7] Itch.io's indie community was skeptical of both companies, but some found the debate humorous. One user launched the "Unspeakable Jam" and Itch.io joked on Twitter that Apple's lawyers called and said to “turn off ALL the games".[8] ScreenHub Australia's Chantelle McColl thought that the response was moot, considering that such third-party applications could be accessed on Apple devices.[9]

The most recent public report in 2019 revealed that Itch.io hosted over 200,000 games.[5]

Features and functionality

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Corcoran discussing itch.io at the 2016 XOXO festival

itch.io is a common platform for small and independent developers. Anybody can publish on the website.[1][2][10] It uses a pay-what-you-want model for both customers and developers. Developers can set a minimum price for their games, but buyers can choose to pay extra.[11] Since 2015, itch.io has let developers dictate how much revenue the website receives from their sales. It is set at 10% by default, which at the time was below an industry norm of 30%, but can be set at any amount, including 0%.[12][13] One of itch.io's most well known features are its customizable store pages.[2]

During the platform's early years, Corcoran implemented unusual requests from the community. Alan Hazelden, creator of A Good Snowman Is Hard to Build (2015), asked for a "price-changing API" which changed the cost to match real-world temperatures.[1][2] The "Refinery" early access tools debuted in 2016 after a request from Overland developer Adam Saltsman. Developers can use secret URLs, password protection and limit the number of sales, and add tiered purchases and rewards.[2]

Itch.io is often viewed as a platform for beginner developers, a "stepping-stone" to Steam, which has wider brand recognition and a higher entry standard; it costs $100 to post games on Steam and legal paperwork must be completed before registering. Corcoran viewed this perception of his platform as disheartening. He cited a 2017 game called Clone Drone in the Danger Zone, which was a financial success on Itch.io but its sales on the website dropped by 20% after it moved to Steam.[2][5]

Bundles

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Game developers can sell bundles of games together. Bundles are usually organized around a shared topic, genre or community. In addition to bundles for shared profit among game developers, Itch.io also hosts charity bundles to raise money for various causes. Itch.io lets users split up bundle profits between accounts any way they want, either evenly or by percentages of total sales.[citation needed]

In 2021 and 2022, Itch.io ran a Queer Games Bundle during Pride Month to raise money cooperatively for LGBTQ game developers and zine makers. The 2022 version contained more than 500 items[14] and raised US$216,000 for 431 creators even though it had a "pay what you want" option.[15]

Itch.io has launched many bundles surrounding social issues to raise money for charities. In support of the George Floyd protests, Itch.io organized the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality in June 2020. It initially launched with over 700 games, but increased to over 1,500 as additional developers offered to contribute.[16][17] In 11 days, the bundle raised US$8.1 million for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund.[18][19] Other charity bundles include the "TTRPGs for Trans Rights" series;[20][21] the 2022 "Bundle for Ukraine" for the International Medical Corps and Voices of Children, which raised over $400,000 on its first day, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine;[22] and the 2022 "Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds" which raised over $380,000 in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.[23][24]

Content

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Library

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This willingness to experiment [...] makes Itchio feel like a garden of digital possibility, one unburdened by corporate overlords or the growing malaise of loot boxes. Here, you might find some junk that someone made in a few hours, barely playable or legible — or you might find a raw yet heartfelt game that does something you've never seen before.

Patricia Hernandez, The Verge[1]

Itch.io's store largely contains small and experimental indie games.[9][25] Other products, such as books, music, and assets, can be uploaded to Itch.io; the product descriptor can be changed to anything.[1][2] There has been a trend of low poly and pixelated horror games on the platform.[26][27]

Most Itch.io games are not well-known. A review of Itch.io by PC Mag's Jordan Miner praised its library of more unique and artistic indie games, but conceded it catered to a more specific, "indie-centric" audience.[25]

Community

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Itch.io has developed a dedicated community of niche indie creators, for which it has become a prominent platform. They regularly host game jams.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hernandez, Patricia (November 30, 2018). "The game store that outshines Steam by staying small and weird". The Verge. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Newman, Jared (March 31, 2017). "How Itch.io became an indie PC game haven—and Steam's antithesis". PC World. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Smith, Adam (April 23, 2014). "The New Curiosity Shop: Itch.io Interview". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Ww, Tim (December 2, 2014). "Q&A: itch.io Interview with Leaf Corcoran". Game Developer. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Bates, Mason; Şengün, Sercan (2024). "Itch.io, History of". In Lee, Newton (ed.). Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games. Springer International Publishing. pp. 1020–1022. ISBN 9783031231612.
  6. ^ Maiberg, Emanuel (June 23, 2015). "Itch.io Is the Littlest Next Big Thing in Gaming". Vice. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  7. ^ Machkovech, Sam (May 15, 2021). "After Epic v. Apple namecheck, Itch.io runs one-day-only dev-friendly promo". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Robertson, Adi (May 8, 2021). "Apple is using Itch.io's 'offensive and sexualized' games as a cudgel against Epic". The Verge. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  9. ^ a b McColl, Chantelle (June 2, 2021). "Itch.io's games aren't 'unspeakable'; they're groundbreaking". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Newhouse, Alex (May 14, 2021). "Devs Get 100% Of Revenue On Itch.io Today". GameSpot. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (March 24, 2015). "Itch.io lets developers dictate revenue share". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (May 12, 2021). "On indie site itch.io's Creator Day, developers will get all the profits". Polygon. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Bonifacic, Igor (May 14, 2021). "Itch.io won't take a cut of game sales on May 14th". Engadget. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Castello, Jay (June 2, 2022). "Itch.io's Queer Games Bundle is back, offering hundreds of games for Pride month". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "How Are Game Devs Responding To The Growing Demand For Queer Characters?". Kotaku Australia. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Fingas, Jon (June 9, 2020). "Itch.io offers 700 games in a pay-what-you-want racial justice bundle". Engadget. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  17. ^ Statt, Nick (June 11, 2020). "Itch.io's amazing 1,500-game charity bundle surpasses $5 million goal". The Verge. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 16, 2020). "Itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality ends with a stunning $8.1m raised". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Cryer, Hirun (June 16, 2020). "Itch.io's Racial Justice and Equality Bundle Ends With Over $8.1 Million Raised". USgamer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  20. ^ Valens, Ana (March 7, 2022). "This Tabletop Bundle Just Raised $220k for Trans Texans". The Mary Sue. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "This TTRPG Bundle For Trans Rights In Florida Has Over 500 Games For Only $5". GameSpot. March 14, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Bains, Callum (March 8, 2022). "Get 1,000 games for $10 including Superhot and Celeste, to support Ukraine". TechRadar. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Kerr, Chris (July 15, 2022). "The Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds has raised over $380,000 in aid of reproductive rights". Game Developer. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  24. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (July 6, 2022). "Indie devs raising money for abortion rights in huge new game bundle". Polygon. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Minor, Jordan (July 14, 2023). "itch.io Review". PC Mag. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Senior, Tom (October 31, 2018). "Itch.io's free games section is a festival of scares right now". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  27. ^ Clayton, Natalie (March 23, 2022). "Retro horror games are preparing to go beyond the PS1". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
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