The website for indie game distribution platform Itch.io has been taken down due to Funko using “AI powered” brand protection software.
The official Itch.io Blue Sky account shared that the game distribution platform has been taken down as a result of Funko (of Funko Pop fame) using an “AI Powered” Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield, which created a bogus phishing report to its website registrar, iwantmyname. The registrar ignored Itch.io’s response and proceeded to disable the domain.
According to its official website, BrandShield is a cutting-edge online brand protection software that uses AI-powered technology to proactively monitor digital landscapes for trademark infringements, phishing attempts, brand abuse, and counterfeit activity.
While BrandShield is undoubtedly at fault, the primary culprit here is the registrar, as it took down Itch.io’s domain offline without considering proper investigation or legal intervention. We certainly hope that the website is brought back online as soon as possible, and that measures are taken by the registrar in order to avoid future issues of this nature.
For the uninitiated, Itch.io is a platform where users can host, sell, and download indie video games, role-playing games, game assets, comics, zines, and music. The platform supports hosting game jams, events where participants create games within a set time frame. It also allows users to collaborate on selling their products through bundles.
In 2012, Leaf Corcoran, an American hobbyist programmer, developed his own programming language called MoonScript and began creating games with it. Lacking a distribution platform, and inspired by Bandcamp’s open model, he decided to build his own marketplace for indie games, especially those made with MoonScript. Corcoran began work on the platform in January 2013 and launched Itch.io on March 3, using an unused domain name. Initially, it received little attention and primarily served as a personal repository. However, through Corcoran’s participation in the Ludum Dare game jam, Itch.io gained visibility. By 2015, it had established itself as a platform for indie developers. By June of that year, it had paid over $393,000 to creators and hosted more than 15,000 projects, tripling its size in just nine months. A desktop application for Itch.io was launched in early 2016, and by February 2017, the platform had reached five million game downloads.
