Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 3 hrs ago
New game pages on itch.io doubled in two months as AI concerns grow
Itch.io saw daily game-page creation double between August and October, rising from about 3,000 to more than 6,000.
The platform is a storefront where independent developers can distribute or sell games.
Itch.io has not directly confirmed that AI caused the increase, but its replies on Bluesky suggested AI-made projects are a major factor.
AI-generated games make up about 7.5% of all listed pages on the site, according to the figures given.
Downloads and purchases have not doubled, so the extra pages have not brought a comparable increase in players or buyers.
That could make it harder for independent games to be noticed among the growing number of listings.
Some users are calling for AI-made games to be banned, but detecting them and enforcing a ban could be difficult.
Itch.io already asks developers to disclose AI use, and the platform has not announced a new restriction.
Itch.io says the number of new game pages created daily on its storefront has doubled since August.
The count rose from around 3,000 per day to more than 6,000 by October 30.
The platform’s replies suggest that AI-generated projects are behind much of the increase, but it has not explicitly confirmed the cause.
Itch.io said downloads and purchases have not doubled over the same period.
The surge has prompted calls to ban AI-generated games, while AI researcher Mike Cook warned that a ban would be difficult to enforce.
- Who
- Itch.io, an indie games storefront, reported the increase. The rise may involve developers using generative AI.
- What
- New game pages created each day have doubled, while downloads and purchases have not.
- When
- The increase took place between August and October 2026; the reported figure was from October 30.
- Where
- On the itch.io storefront.
- Why
- Itch.io’s replies suggest AI-generated projects may be driving the increase, but the platform did not explicitly state the cause.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Claude Opus 5 launched, according to PC Gamer.
Itch.io’s chart showed around 3,000 new game pages being created per day.
The daily number of new pages had risen to regularly surpassing 6,000, according to the chart.
Itch.io shared data on Bluesky showing the rise in new game pages.
- Daily new pages in August
- Around 3,000
- Daily new pages by October 30
- More than 6,000
- AI-generated pages listed
- 131,929 of 1,769,316, or about 7.5%
- Downloads and purchases
- Have not doubled since August 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
take a guess
The number of downloads and purchases has not doubled
I think that would be a good move. But it won't change this graph, unfortunately,
You need a team of people to enforce it, or a very dicey public reporting system. Even then, it's a lot harder to detect than people think.