Game creation on itch.io surges

On Bluesky, the official account of itch.io posted a chart on November 1st showing the number of game pages created each day on the store. There were approximately 3,000 at the beginning of August, and more than 6,000 by the end of October.

AI-generated games on the rise

The platform is experiencing an influx of games created using AI, which has raised concerns about the quality and authenticity of the content. A count published by PC Gamer on November 1st indicated that 131,929 of the 1,769,316 games listed on itch.io bear the label "AI Generated," about 7.5%.

itch.io's approach to AI content

Launched in 2013 by developer Leaf Corcoran, itch.io allows anyone to publish a game, free or paid. The platform had previously planned a safeguard in November 2024, which included a question on the editing page of each project asking if it contains content produced by a generative AI.

Labeling and filtering AI content

If the creator answers yes, the project receives the label "AI Generated." If the creator answers no, it receives the label "No AI," which players can use to filter. However, the answer is only mandatory for resources (sprites, sounds, models) sold to developers, and those that hide AI are no longer referenced in the navigation pages. For games, it depends on what the creator declares, as on Steam, where Valve has trusted the studios' declarations since January 2024.

Steam's response to AI games

On Steam too, players were asking Valve for an emergency feature against AI games during the last Steam Next Fest. A filter that relies on the honesty of creators. Thomas Bidaux, CEO of ICO Partners, a marketing consulting agency specializing in video games, noted on Monday, November 2, that Steam had 1,656 releases during the last week of October.

Challenges in moderating AI content

The whole problem is that it is a phenomenon difficult to block. Itch.io clearly does not have the budget to pay for moderation capable of filtering the games published manually. The platform could only limit the number of publications per account, for example, one game publication per month. For now, it has made no such announcement.

Kenney highlights AI prevalence

Kenney, a Dutch developer known for his thousands of free resources, published on November 1st a screenshot of the "recently added" section of itch.io, filled with AI titles, specifying that he had not filtered anything. The platform also specifies in a response that downloads and purchases have not doubled at the same time as the publications.

AI's role in the game catalog

Not to mention that AI already occupies a large part of the catalog. The rise of AI-generated games is reshaping the landscape of independent game development, raising questions about authenticity and the future of creative work in the industry.