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Itch.io says it has removed “a couple terabytes” of AI-generated material as the number of game pages created each day roughly doubled between Aug. 3 and Oct. 30. The storefront is expanding AI disclosure requirements and adding search filters, but says first-time uploaders—not bulk uploaders—are driving the increase.
Itch.io says it has removed “a couple terabytes” of AI-generated material and is expanding disclosure rules and search filters after the number of game pages created daily on the storefront roughly doubled between Aug. 3 and Oct. 30. The company says the rise is being driven by first-time uploaders, while downloads and purchases have not shown a comparable increase.
Itch.io’s graph showed daily game-page creation rising from just over 3,000 on Aug. 3 to more than 6,000 on Oct. 30, according to the report by Kotaku. The company linked the growth to the spread of generative AI tools, but the available figures do not establish how many new pages contain AI-generated material. Itch.io also said downloads and purchases did not rise at a similar rate.
The storefront has begun requiring AI disclosures in its tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks categories, extending rules already used in other parts of the site. Creators must disclose whether they used AI and how, including when AI-generated material was later edited to remove those elements, the report said.
Itch.io is also increasing moderation and adding a way for users to filter search results by generative AI disclosure. The company previously said it removed near-identical titles uploaded in bulk and de-indexed them from search, describing bulk uploads of that kind as against its existing content guidelines. It said, however, that such batches were not the main reason for the overall rise in page creation.
More Uploads, More Discovery Controls
The increase matters to creators and players because a higher volume of listings can make it harder for people to find games they want and for independent developers to reach an audience. Itch.io’s report of more page creation without a comparable rise in purchases or downloads points to a gap between the amount of material being listed and the activity buyers and players generate.
Disclosure rules and filters offer users a way to distinguish or exclude disclosed AI-assisted work without removing every such title. That approach may be more manageable than a blanket prohibition, but it depends on accurate disclosures and moderation. The company has not reported how much of the upload growth is AI-related or how effective the new tools have been so far.
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How Itch.io’s Uploads Changed
Itch.io is an online storefront used by independent developers and other creators to publish and sell games and related work. Its upload increase is part of a wider discussion about generative AI on digital game platforms. Kotaku’s report also cited the high number of demos at Steam’s Next Fest and Epic Games’ position that developers should be free to use AI; those examples provide industry context, not a direct measure of Itch.io’s own activity.
The immediate discussion followed Itch.io’s publication of a graph showing daily game-page creation. After a user posted an example of one uploader filling much of a page of listings with similar AI-created games, Itch.io said those bulk uploads breached its guidelines and had been removed from search results. The company later clarified that first-time uploaders, rather than bulk-upload accounts, were behind the broader increase shown in the graph.
“Take a guess.”
— Itch.io, in a reply on Bluesky
What the Upload Figures Cannot Show
The published graph measures game pages created per day, not the number or share of listings made with AI. Itch.io has not provided a breakdown of uploads by AI use, the number of accounts involved, or a precise accounting of the “couple terabytes” it says it removed. The comparison also does not specify a longer-term baseline beyond the Aug. 3 and Oct. 30 figures.
It is not yet clear how many of the new disclosures will be complete, how the company will check them, or when filtering will be available across all relevant site areas. The report gives no results showing whether the measures have reduced clutter or changed downloads and purchases. The company’s account that first-time uploaders are driving the increase is a stated explanation; the supplied figures alone do not identify the content of those uploads.
Disclosure Filters Roll Out
Itch.io says it is adding AI-disclosure filters to more parts of the site, including search, and has extended disclosure requirements to tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks. Users can expect those measures to shape how disclosed material is presented and found, though the precise rollout schedule and coverage have not been specified in the report.
The next useful indicators will be whether the new rules are applied consistently, whether users make use of the filters and whether the daily page-creation trend changes. Itch.io has not announced a general ban on AI-generated content, and no further policy timetable or updated upload figures were provided.
Key Questions
How much AI-generated content did Itch.io remove?
Itch.io described the amount as “a couple terabytes”. The report did not include an exact volume, timeframe or breakdown of the material removed.
Did daily uploads double because of bulk AI uploads?
Not according to Itch.io. The company said the rise shown in its graph was driven by first-time uploaders, not bulk-upload accounts, though it did separately say bulk uploads of near-identical titles violate its guidelines.
What new AI disclosure rules has Itch.io introduced?
Itch.io is requiring disclosures in its tabletop games, books, comics and soundtracks categories. Creators are asked to state whether AI tools were used and how, even if they later edited out AI-generated elements.
Can users hide AI-related games from search?
Itch.io says it is adding generative AI disclosure filtering to more parts of the site, including search results. The report does not specify the full rollout schedule or whether every relevant category is covered yet.
Source: kotaku.com
