Itch.io, well-known indie game marketplace that allows users to host, sell, and download indie games on their website, released a statement on Twitter about their thoughts on NFTs after sharing that they’ve been asked by quite a few people regarding their stance on the issue.
The indie game hosting website continued the conversation in a Twitter thread, where they condemned “any company that says they support creators and also endorses NFTs in any way. They only care about their own profit and the opportunity for wealth above anyone else.”
Itch.io’s response is unsurprising, as the hosting website is very accommodating to its users and indie game developers. They also tend to voice their opinions without restraint, like when they infamously responded to Game Jolt, another indie game hosting website, and its decision to purge its website from all existing NSFW games hosted there.
They have also been transparent about standing up and supporting causes they believe in. They organized the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality in June 2020 in support of the George Floyd protests, raising $8.1 million for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. Additionally, they organized the Bundle for Palestinian Aid in June 2021, which raised over $899,000, and the proceeds went to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Itch.io is among the few existing gaming platforms that have taken a stance against NFTs despite their persistence to exist within the video game sphere. Many AAA developers and publishers have taken the chance to create their own NFTs regardless of the negative feedback received from fans and their communities, such as Konami’s Castlevania NFTs, Ubisoft’s Quartz NFT platform, and Square Enix’s plans to experiment with NFTs in the upcoming future.