Itch.io Criticizes Gaming Companies Considering NFTs

By M. Kang

Posted on February 10, 2022

[adrotate group = “15”]

Itch.io has come out strongly against the NFT movement in the gaming industry.

A few have asked about our stance on NFTs:

NFTs are a scam. If you think they are legitimately useful for anything other than the exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet the we ask that please reevaluate your life choices.

Peace ✌️
— itch.io (@itchio) February 6, 2022

Posted on their official Twitter account, the indie game web platform sharply criticized NFTs as the “exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet.” They went on to say that companies that are looking at NFTs as legitimate advancements in the gaming space “only care about their own profit and the opportunity for wealth above anyone else.”

NFTs have caused a lot of controversy lately as they have become more mainstream and gaming companies have started to look into how they could incorporate NFTs into their games or platforms. One of the many problems with NFTs is that they are based in crypto-currency, which uses a lot of energy to mine and thus, are incredibly bad for the environment. NFTs also supposedly offer some sort of digital ownership of items, although the legitimacy of this ownership is paper-thin and reflects an economy of scarcity already toxic to the gaming ecosystem (think lootboxes).

Itch.io taking a stand is not new. They are known for being active and vocal in fighting for justice within the larger gaming scene. In the past, they have sponsored or hosted gaming bundles where people could pay what they wanted for several hundreds, if not thousands, of games in order to contribute to non-profits or other organizations. The two most recent ones campaigns were to provide for Palestinian Aid and for Racial Justice and Equality in the midst of anti-Black and anti-Asian violence in the summer 2020.