Itch.io isn't taking any money from developers today
Indie digital storefront Itch.io is holding its first ever Creator Day today, which means that until midnight tonight it will take no cut from purchases made on its platform—the developers get it all.
"Developers, musicians, and artists will receive 100% of sales after taxes and payment processor fees," Itch.io said. "We hope to make this a regular event to give developers an excuse to share and promote their works."
There's no reference to other storefronts in the announcement, but it stands as a pretty clear counterpoint to Steam, which is facing increasing pressure from developers, publishers, and other sellers over the 30% cut it continues to take from most sales. Valve slightly reduced the amount it takes from some games in late 2018—instead of 30% across the board, it now only takes 25% on earnings over $10 million, and 20% on earnings in excess of $50 million—but that leaves out the vast majority of indie devs (the ones who would most benefit from a reduction in fees, in other words), and it pales in comparison to the 12% cut now taken by Epic Games and Microsoft.
Itch.io takes an even more relaxed approach: Its default rate is 10%, and if developers want to drop that all the way to nothing, they can. (And today, they don't have a choice.)
To help get the wheels turning, Itch.io also has a Creator Day sale page going. As far as I can tell it's really just a roundup of stuff that's on sale anyway, but there are some good choices here:
- Rusty Lake Paradise – I will never not recommend the Rusty Lake games, and Paradise is particularly good.
- Nuts – A hard-boiled detective thriller about squirrels and their nuts. It's really good.
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion – The title is catchy, and Mollie liked it a lot.
- A Short Hike – An acclaimed indie game about enjoying a wee trek.
- Shadowhand – An RPG card game about an 18th-century highwaywoman. (Its predecessor, Regency Solitaire, is on sale too.)
- Kentucky Route Zero - Just a great, dreamlike narrative adventure. Can't recommend it enough.
Itch.io's Creator Day runs until 11:59 pm PT on May 14.
Thanks, RPS.