On a single day in May 2021, the indie storefront Itch.io set aside its usual cut and let the people who make its games, music, and magazines keep everything they earned after taxes and payment processing. It is a small gesture within a long human tradition of makers trying to reach their audiences without surrendering most of the value to the middlemen who carry their work. Whether this single day becomes a habit, like the monthly Fridays that Bandcamp once offered, remains an open question the platform has not answered.
Itch.io Waives All Sales Fees Today for Its First Creator Day
For one day, the people selling things on Itch.io kept everything.
Mark
So what actually happened on May 14?
Mimi
Itch.io dropped its sales fees for the day. Creators kept 100 percent of sales after taxes and payment processor fees, until 11:59 PM Pacific.
Mark
How big a deal is that, given the fee is normally small?
Mimi
Itch.io usually takes 10 percent. Steam and Apple's App Store typically start at 30. So the baseline is already creator-friendly, and this goes further.
Luke
Worth noting that 100 percent isn't literally everything. Taxes and processor fees still come out. And nothing here says how much money was actually made that day.
Mark
Is this a one-off?
Mimi
It resembles Bandcamp Fridays, but Itch.io hasn't announced any schedule.
Luke
Right, so any talk of a recurring program is speculation. Only the first Creator Day is confirmed.
Mark
Why does the Epic and Apple lawsuit come up?
Mimi
Apple cited Itch.io's experimental and sexually explicit content in arguing against Epic offering its own app store. Epic began distributing Itch.io's desktop client in April.
Luke
That's Apple's argument as reported, and the piece sides against it. I'd keep Apple's claim and the writer's opinion separate. The ruling isn't part of this story.
Il Polso
- For one day only, every sale on Itch.io leaves creators with their full earnings, a sharp contrast to the roughly 30 percent that Steam and Apple's App Store typically take.
- The waiver lands in the middle of a legal fight, as Apple cites the site's explicit and experimental catalog while arguing against Epic Games' rival store.
- Epic's free desktop client for Itch.io, offered inside its own storefront, has pushed a niche platform into a much larger and more contested spotlight.
- Shoppers are being urged to buy today, because the money they spend goes straight to the creators rather than to the platform.
- The window closes at 11:59 PM Pacific, and nothing has been announced about whether Creator Day will return.
On a single day in May 2021, the indie storefront Itch.io set aside its usual cut and let the people who make its games, music, and magazines keep everything they earned after taxes and payment processing. It is a small gesture within a long human tradition of makers trying to reach their audiences without surrendering most of the value to the middlemen who carry their work. Whether this single day becomes a habit, like the monthly Fridays that Bandcamp once offered, remains an open question the platform has not answered.
For one day, May 14, 2021, the people selling on Itch.io kept everything they made. The indie storefront declared its first Creator Day and waived its sales fees across the whole site, so creators could pocket the full amount after taxes and payment processor fees. The window ran until 11:59 PM Pacific, or 2:59 AM Eastern the following morning.
The store holds far more than games. Its shelves include music, entire magazines, and all manner of independent work, and the waiver covered every seller. The promotion echoes Bandcamp's monthly Fridays, though Itch.io has not said whether Creator Day will repeat or follow any schedule.
The fee being waived was already modest. Itch.io normally takes about 10 percent of creator earnings, while Apple's App Store and Steam usually take 30 percent. Creators also value the platform for being easy to use and more open about its terms than larger game stores.
The site has recently drawn attention for other reasons. Its content rules are looser than most rivals', and it hosts experimental work, much of it sexually explicit. In April, Epic Games began offering Itch.io's desktop client as a free download in its own store, a store inside a store. That arrangement has now entered the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, where Apple points to the site's explicit content as a reason Epic should not offer an alternative to its store. The Verge's view is that Epic bears no duty to moderate games sold elsewhere merely because it distributes that platform's app.
Setting the lawsuit aside, the advice is simple: browse the site today. Some of it is NSFW, some unfinished, and some not to your taste, but the next favorite game may already be waiting, made by someone working in their spare time. Buy it today, and they keep more of the money.
For one day, May 14, 2021, the people selling things on Itch.io kept everything. The indie storefront declared its first Creator Day and waived its sales fees across the whole site, so creators could pocket 100 percent of what they earned after taxes and payment processor fees. The window closed at 11:59 PM Pacific, which is 2:59 AM Eastern on May 15.
The store sells far more than games. Its catalog runs from indie games to music to entire magazines, and the waiver applied to anyone selling anything there. The promotion resembles Bandcamp's monthly Bandcamp Fridays, though Itch.io has not said whether it will repeat Creator Day or on what schedule.
The fee being waived is already small. Itch.io has traditionally asked for 10 percent of what creators earn on its storefront. Apple's App Store and Steam, by comparison, typically start at a 30 percent cut. Creators also like the platform for being relatively easy to use and generally more transparent than larger game stores such as Steam.
The site has been in the news for another reason lately. Its content standards are looser than those of many rivals, and it carries experimental and often sexually explicit work. In April, Epic Games began offering Itch.io's desktop client as a free download in its own storefront, a store inside a store.
That arrangement surfaced in the ongoing Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. Apple pointed to Itch.io's experimental and sexually explicit content as a reason Epic should not be allowed to offer its own app store as an alternative to Apple's. The Verge's view is that Epic has no responsibility to moderate games sold on a separate platform simply because it offers that platform's store as a download.
Setting the legal argument aside, the reporter's advice is to browse the site today. Some of the work is NSFW, some is unfinished, and some of it you will not want to play, read, or listen to. But the site sits on the cutting edge, and the next favorite game could already be there, made by someone in their free time. Buy it today, and that person keeps more of the money.
What to watch now is whether Creator Day becomes a recurring event the way Bandcamp Fridays did. Itch.io has not said.
Citazioni salienti
Creators keep 100 percent of sales after taxes and payment processor fees.— Itch.io, as quoted by The Verge
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