itch.io
 | |
Screenshot  A screenshot of itch.io in January 2016 | |
Type of site | Video games, E-books, Game assets |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Leaf Corcoran |
| URL | itch |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional (required to upload content, comment, and join game jams) |
| Launched | 3 March 2013[1] |
| Current status | Online |
| Written in | TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JavaScript,[2] MoonScript[3] |
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, during which participants have limited time (usually 1–3 days) to create a game. Some of the more notable jams hosted on itch.io include Game Off and Game Maker's Toolkit Game Jam.
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".[5] Its name comes from a spare domain that Corcoran had purchased a couple of years prior.[1]
As of June 2015, the service hosted over 15,000 games and programs.[6]
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.[7] Today, the Itch app is recommended as "the best way to play your itch.io games".[8]
Revenue
The developer can charge money for the games they release onto the platform, and in May 2015, itch.io paid developers US$51,489.[6] By default, the site takes a 10% cut from each sale,[9] but the developer can choose how much money the site will get per purchase.[10] The developer can set the lowest price for the game (including free), and the customer can pay above that minimum amount if they like the game they are purchasing.[11]
References
- ^ a b Ww, Tim (1 December 2014). "Q&A: itch.io Interview with Leaf Corcoran". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ "itchio/itch". GitHub. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ "Team - itch.io". itch.io. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "itch.io Site Overview". Alexa Internet. Amazon.com. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ Smith, Adam (23 April 2014). "The New Curiosity Shop: Itch.io Interview". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ a b Maiberg, Emanuel (23 June 2015). "Itch.io Is the Littlest Next Big Thing in Gaming". Vice. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
- ^ "Say hello to the itch.io app: itch". itch.io blog. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "Itch app on GitHub". github.com. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ Cameron, Phill (23 March 2015). "Itch.io launches open revenue sharing". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (16 September 2014). "Game jams aside, itch.io's doing brisk business distributing games". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (24 March 2015). "Itch.io lets developers dictate revenue share". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
