The number of game pages doubles on Itch.io as AI games flood the store
By image by stokkete via Adobe Stock/logo via Itch.io
Itch.io, a modest independent game distribution platform that enables all game creators to market their games, states that the daily number of store pages for games has surged twofold over the last two months. In a message on Bluesky, a spokesperson suggested this remarkable upsurge is attributed to generative AI’s influence on game creation, yet notes that the increase in pages has not led to a proportional rise in sales or income.
The Bluesky update states “The quantity of game pages being produced daily has increased two times during the past two months,” paired with a graphic depicting a rise from 3,000 pages created on a particular day in August to nearly 8,000 pages by October. Although the Itch.io post does not explicitly mention that this is due to generative AI, several responses from other users inquire if that is indeed the case, to which the Itch.io account replies with either weary emojis or robots.
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Another response further elucidates that “the number of downloads and purchases has *not* increased twofold,” indicating that the elevated quantity of game pages doesn’t appear to be benefiting either the store or developers in any substantial way.
Exploring Itch.io’s section of latest games, which showcases games in the most recent order of addition, one can notice many thumbnails generated using AI. Utilizing the “No AI” filter eliminates entire pages from the store listings, dropping from 1,772,099 results to 432,180 results. The AI disclosure label is applied when a creator sets up a game page, querying whether the game incorporates any generative AI in the assets, but does not mandate a response for a page to be established.
In the Itch.io content creator quality stipulations, the segment on generative AI includes a request for honest disclosure.
