Post by redonihunter in "Demo on itch.io, full game only on Steam" is VERY frustrating

Viewing post in "Demo on itch.io, full game only on Steam" is VERY frustrating

I would probably do a similar thing, demo on itch and full game on steam.

Can you elaborate your reasoning?

You can even give the Steam key with a purchase on Itch.

Some devs are concerned about local pricing or do not understand how pricing works and fear they are not allowed to publish on other platforms, without matching prices. But do not understand how taxes work and miscaluclate the prices. Or they just do not want to have the hassle of managing another site with payments.

But usually, developers are keen to release their game on as many platforms as possible.

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sharpestcookie6 days ago(+1)

You can even give the Steam key with a purchase on Itch.

A similarly frustrating thing is when a dev gives out ONLY Steam keys (no downloadable files) if I try to purchase here. A good example is the game Smile for Me. I loved the art style and was really excited to play it. Then I realized that purchasing it on Itch would only give me a Steam key…except they released it on Steam, Switch, Playstation, AND Xbox. Makes no sense.

But usually, developers are keen to release their game on as many platforms as possible.

Yes! Isn’t a sale a sale, no matter how many there are, or where they come from? Especially for indie games. And I’ve seen a bunch that release on Steam to low sales because their niche game’s target audience is on Itch, not Steam.

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redonihunter5 days ago(+2)

https://itch.io/docs/creators/quality-guidelines#avoid-only-uploading-keys-or-li...

That's actually not really wanted on Itch. It is grounds for delisting and for refunds. Imagine what happens if you do not have a Steam account, and do not want or are not able to make one and accidentaly buy the game, because it is listed as a game. Itch is not a key shop.

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sharpestcookie5 days ago

That’s good to know!

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