Funko has issued a statement regarding the temporary suspension of the Itch.io platform, reportedly triggered by its brand protection software. Let's examine Funko's response.
Funko's Official Statement: Support for Indie Games
Funko's official X (formerly Twitter) post expressed strong support for the indie gaming community, emphasizing its appreciation for indie developers and gamers. They acknowledged that their brand protection partner, BrandShield, flagged an Itch.io page mimicking a Funko Fusion development site, leading to a takedown request. Crucially, Funko clarified that they did not request the entire platform be taken down and welcomed Itch.io's swift restoration. They are now in direct communication with Itch.io to resolve the matter.
Itch.io's Perspective: More Than a Simple Takedown
However, Itch.io's owner, Leaf, offered a different perspective on Hacker News. He described the action not as a simple takedown request, but as a "fraud and phishing report" filed with both the hosting provider and registrar. The registrar's automated system responded by taking down the entire domain, despite Leaf's immediate action to remove the offending page. Leaf also revealed an additional detail not mentioned in Funko's statement: contact from Funko's team to his mother.
Further Details and Context
For a more complete understanding of this incident, please refer to Game8's previous report on Itch.io's temporary shutdown. This provides additional context and details surrounding the event.
