Hi there,
Sorry for the late response - we’ve been very busy getting the free demo prepared for August.
You're saying that it's sort of against the rules to release downloadable art and music before the official demo launch. I still haven’t found anything specific in the docs that addresses this issue. Our general strategy is to drop art and soundtrack content ahead of the game to build anticipation and brand solidarity. But if it’s frowned upon on itch, I’d love to know? It seems more like an unwritten rule than a written one, correct? Because your excerpts didn’t say anything \about releasing downloadable art and soundtracks before the game/demo launch.
Anyway, I’ve removed the free art download option for now to try to stay within the customs - even if those customs aren’t backed by any written rules.
Having a negative stance against “optimizing” defeats the purpose of having relying on rules. I don't agree with that practice. Something should either be clearly allowed or clearly not - that would remove the need to experiment and test boundaries altogether. Of course, as professionals, it’s our job to understand the rules and work within them to promote our game across every platform on the internet. When the rules are fuzzy, it makes it harder to take the platform as seriously.
Thanks again for your guidance on how to use itch!