Scammers are selling fraudulent games on Itch.io

Itch.io is an indie-focused digital distribution platform, similar to Steam and GOG but much friendlier to developers in some significant ways. Devs can set their own profit-sharing percentages, for one thing, and it also doesn't require approval for publishing: As we explained in this digital storefront comparison, developers can upload builds and make them available immediately by way of a command-line tool or through cloud service integration.

Unfortunately, that approach leaves the door open to a certain amount of abuse, and as reported by Kotaku UK, people have taken advantage of the system by using the service to sell pirated games. One user told the site he'd purchased a copy of Rimworld after being alerted by the isthereanydeal.com website that it was on sale for 75 percent off. But it turned out to be a .RAR archive of the Rimworld folder from Steam. And you will no doubt be shocked to learn that subsequent efforts to contact the seller have gone nowhere.

Itch.io reportedly moved quickly to remove the fraudulent listings, but as Kotaku pointed out, as long as the system allows this sort of thing to happen, then it's bound to continue happening. The site acknowledged that fact in a statement, but said that it has begun to take steps that will make jerking the system around more difficult.

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