Itch.io Resurges Online Following Rapid Takedown Amid Funko’s Misleading Phishing Claims
UPDATE: Funko states that its takedown request was directed at a specific page, not the entire Itch.io platform.
Latest Update, December 9, 2024: The entirety of Itch.io was abruptly taken offline earlier today, but the website appears to have been reinstated.
Reports of the site experiencing issues emerged after a post on the official Itch.io BlueSky account suggested that the problem was caused by Funko, the company behind the collectible Funko Pop figures.
“…They utilize some questionable ‘AI-powered’ brand protection software called Brand Shield that generated a false phishing report to our registrar, iwantmyname, who disregarded our reply and simply disabled the domain,” the post stated.
However, at the time of this writing, the site seems to be back up and fully operational, indicating that the issue has been resolved.
It remains uncertain what Funko or Brand Shield discovered on Itch.io that led to the phishing report.
Just last month, Itch.io took a clear stance regarding AI and introduced a new requirement that creators must disclose whether their game was developed using any form of generative AI, whether for visuals, audio, text, code, etc.
Update, December 10, 2024: Funko has released a statement via X, asserting that its takedown request was aimed at a particular page on Itch.io rather than the entire website.
The company clarified that the page in question was “mimicking the Funko Fusion development website.” Funko emphasized that it “did not request a takedown of the Itch.io platform, and we’re pleased the site was restored by this morning.”
Funko further noted that the page was identified by one of its brand security partners, but did not specify which one.