Itch.io Expands AI Disclosure and Filtering

Itch.io says game-page creation rose from just over 3,000 per day on August 3 to above 6,000 per day on October 30, roughly doubling as AI-generated titles spread. The indie game storefront said downloads and purchases did not rise at a similar rate, and attributed the increase to first-time uploaders rather than bulk uploaders. When asked on Bluesky whether it knew the reason for the increase, Itch.io replied, “Take a guess.”

Itch.io already prohibits bulk uploads under its content guidelines and said it had removed near-identical AI-created games from search results by de-indexing them. The company said those bulk uploads were not the main driver of the increase shown in its graph. Staff also said they were sad that the platform’s hosting offers were being abused.

The store is extending AI disclosure requirements to uploads in its tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks categories. Users must disclose whether AI tools were used and how, even if they later edited out AI-generated material. Itch.io has deleted “a couple terabytes” of AI-generated material it called slop and is adding a search filter that lets users hide games with generative AI disclosures.

Some users have urged Itch.io to ban AI content entirely, arguing that the platform is designed for solo and hobbyist creators. The article says a filtering system will not satisfy those users. It also reports that moderation costs would be high under a full ban, while some people in programming consider AI use in coding acceptable even when AI is not used for on-screen art.

Itch.io says game-page creation rose from just over 3,000 per day on August 3 to above 6,000 per day on October 30, roughly doubling as AI-generated titles spread. The indie game storefront said downloads and purchases did not rise at a similar rate, and attributed the increase to first-time uploaders rather than bulk uploaders. When asked on Bluesky whether it knew the reason for the increase, Itch.io replied, “Take a guess.”

Itch.io already prohibits bulk uploads under its content guidelines and said it had removed near-identical AI-created games from search results by de-indexing them. The company said those bulk uploads were not the main driver of the increase shown in its graph. Staff also said they were sad that the platform’s hosting offers were being abused.

The store is extending AI disclosure requirements to uploads in its tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks categories. Users must disclose whether AI tools were used and how, even if they later edited out AI-generated material. Itch.io has deleted “a couple terabytes” of AI-generated material it called slop and is adding a search filter that lets users hide games with generative AI disclosures.

Some users have urged Itch.io to ban AI content entirely, arguing that the platform is designed for solo and hobbyist creators. The article says a filtering system will not satisfy those users. It also reports that moderation costs would be high under a full ban, while some people in programming consider AI use in coding acceptable even when AI is not used for on-screen art.