Itch.io


itch.io is a website for users to host, sell and download indie video games. Released in March 2013 by Leaf Corcoran, the service hosts nearly 100,000 games and items as of February 2018.
itch.io also allows users to host game jams, events where participants have limited time to create a game. Game Off and Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam have been hosted on itch.io.

History

On 3 March 2013, Leaf Corcoran posted a blog entry to the site leafo.net detailing what the website would be about, with a pay-what-you-want model. In an interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Corcoran said the original idea was not a store but instead a place to "create a customized game homepage". Its name comes from a spare domain that Corcoran had purchased a couple of years prior.
As of June 2015, the service hosted over 15,000 games and programs.
In December 2015, the service announced the release of a desktop application for installing games and other content, as well as keeping existing games and content updated automatically. It was released with simultaneous support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Today, the Itch app is recommended as "the best way to play your itch.io games".
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 1500 as additional developers offered to contribute. In 11 days, the bundle raised $8.1M for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund.

Revenue

The developer can charge money for the games they release onto the platform, and in May 2015, itch.io paid developers. By default, the site takes a 10% cut from each sale, but the developer can choose how much money the site will get per purchase. The developer can set the lowest price for the game, and the customer can pay above that minimum amount if they like the game they are purchasing.