And look at what happened to Tumblr. They sold it off… and it was worthless. It got sold again and again for less money each time, and I can’t even remember the last time I saw anyone seriously use the service.
Folding might save Itch in the short-term, but you only have to look to Tumblr to find an example of the long-term effects, and since Itch is so much more specialized, I’d expect it to have a much harder time shambling forward.