The digital storefront itch.io is currently experiencing an extended period of downtime, which is allegedly the result of the company Funko.
Earlier today, the company took to Twitter to share the news with its followers, writing, "I kid you not, @itchio has been taken down by @OriginalFunko because they use some trash "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software called @BrandShieldltd that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, @iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain."
According to itch.io, it did take down the disputed page that triggered the initial report pretty much immediately as "it's not worth fighting stuff like that" but regardless, its registrar's automated system disabled the site's domain as no one was around to read its confirmation of removal. It has provided a temporary workaround to visit the site for those who know how to edit their host files, and says "if the downtime exceeds 8 hours then it will likely prioritize deploying a new domain".
itch.io is known for being home to countless independent games, including homebrews for old consoles and computers. Before hearing the news, for instance, we had intended to cover the exciting release of Jonathan Thomas's new Atari STE racer Faster, which was published on the storefront yesterday. But as the site is currently down, it's probably best that we wait for a more opportune time.
We'll try and keep you posted on when the site is back online.