itch.io

So then how would someone upload a downloadable soundtrack or artwork before launching a demo?

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!

Hi, thanks again for your detailed response! there’s a lot of useful insight in what you shared.

That said, I want to clarify a few key points and questions, since some things are still unclear:

1. "Most Recent" & Indexing
From what I understand now, a game only appears in the "Most Recent" list after it's indexed, and indexing seems to depend on a number of factors. Just to confirm -  if we upload a free, downloadable file (e.g. a wallpaper), does that technically qualify as “having files” for the purposes of being indexed?

2. Searchability
We’re hoping to appear in searches for tags like "WW1" or "RTS" -  but again, it seems we’d need to be indexed first to even show up there. Please confirm if that’s correct.

3. Devlogs
Is posting devlogs before being indexed a waste of time? If devlogs don’t show up anywhere before the game is indexed, we’ll hold off until then. please clarify if devlogs show up int he "devlogs" section even for non-indexed games.

4. Free Art Download Legitimacy
You  mentioned that offering a poster might break Itch's rules. If you can point me to a specific rule stating that, I’d appreciate it. If not, I’d prefer not to be told we’re breaking rules unless that’s verifiable - especially since many devs release OSTs and wallpapers on their pages.

And just to clarify: we’re not relying on Itch for all our visibility - we’re pushing across 10+ platforms -  but we still want to do our due diligence to understand how Itch works and use its systems properly.

Lastly, no hard feelings, but I do wan to say that suggesting we “have nothing to show” didn’t quite feel accurate or constructive -  we’ve launched the page with original high-quality content and art, and we’re just trying to be thorough. If I misread your tone, then I apologize -  just trying to maintain mutual respect.

We're not being "fussy" - we're trying to learn the mechanics so we can optimize our Itch approach to uphold the Hypermad standard of excellence across all domains: strategy, art, design, programming, music, and beyond. All good if some parts are secret - that's how it should be. But I wanna learn as much as we can  about the platform.

Thanks again to for taking the time to respond -  this discussion has helped me refine our next steps ahead of the August demo.

For now my plan is - lay off of itch for a few days - and check back - once our game page is indexed, we will start posting development blogs, as it seems that posting blogs before being indexed will cause them to never really see the light of day.

And we have already posted out itch page on our socials to drive some traffic here.

Follow on itch:  https://hypermad.itch.io/shellstorm

Dynamic environmental destruction
Physics-driven combat and vehicles
Stealth combat mechanics
Adaptive character AI

Platform: Windows PC
Genre: Real-time tactics
Modes: Single player + PvP
Input Devices: Mouse/Keyboard

🚀We just launched the official itch page for Shellstorm: The Great War

🔗 https://hypermad.itch.io/shellstorm

🎨Below is the key art:

🎁 A free, 60mb ultra-HD 7K poster is available for download and printing on our itch page.

🎮 A free exclusive demo is dropping in August 2025!

🖊️ Signup for Exclusive access: https://www.hypermadinteractive.com/shellstorm-great-war

🔔Follow Shellstorm: The Great War  on itch for more goodies and updates! 

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://hypermad.itch.io/ 
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️                    

Thanks for the clarification and advice!

I’ve already uploaded a free 7K digital art as a freebie.  But its clearly labeled as "Free poster" so hopefully that won't confuse the algo into thinking its a playable file? its also marked as "image" from the upload type dropdown  menu. We definitely don't want itch to think the demo is released yet, as that would ruin our actual demo launch visibility. We do want people to download out art and even print it out if they want - its 7k file super detailed file so hopefully at least one person will enjoy it. 

Your point about devs needing to to do self promotion: Do you mean inside itch or outside? Outside itch, we are promoting the  game on around 10+ platforms already over the last 40 days (Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, Linkedin, Discord, Pinterest, DeviantArt, IndieDB ). and now we are expanding our promotional efforts to Itch - hence our published game page and free digital art. However, since this conversation is happening here on Itch, I’d prefer to keep the discussion focused on strategies and insights specific to the Itch platform itself.

One quick follow-up question: does a game page with no downloadable or playable files show up at all in Itch’s “Most Recent” or search results? Or is having a download required before any visibility happens? and if so, do digital artwork downloads count? or only playable builds/demos? 

Appreciate the insight and your time! Looking forward to figuring out to use itch to promote our game ahead of our August demo launch

Thanks again!

Thanks for the response - I appreciate your perspective.

I was hoping for technical clarification on a few specific questions. I also want to make sure we’re correctly navigating Itch’s internal systems, especially around the visibility of newly published pages.

You mentioned “getting on top recent (again),” but just to clarify - we haven’t been indexed or shown in that section yet. That’s exactly what we’re trying to understand - we are trying to trigger initial exposure. 

So if anyone here has concrete answers to the following, it would be highly appreciated:

1. Does a game page with no downloads or playable files get added to “Most Recent”?

2. Will uploading a non-playable file (like a free wallpaper) satisfy the indexing requirement?

3. Does a game need to be indexed in order to show up in “Most Recent”?

Thank you for your response.   

1) To clarify, when you say "make  a new post" - do you mean a new Devlog? Or a forum post? Yes, under devlog there is an option to select the type of devlog as "Major Update or Launch" - is this what you mean? please confirm.

2) When you say "release" of your game, do demo releases count ? or do you mean the full release? Our full release will be on Steam in November - but our demo will be on itch to get early feedback next month.

3) I created this itch account in order to get eyes on Shellstorm: The Great War before our launch - our game is not yet indexed - but  does adding a free downloadable digital artwork  have a chance at getting the game indexed and searchable and shown in "recent"? We are trying to get the game indexed and searchable ahead of the demo launch so people can discover the page and sign up.

Also, just to clarify:
I'm still trying to understand the exact mechanics of how Itch indexing and visibility work on itch. Specifically:

• Does a game page with no downloads or playable files get added to “Most Recent”?

• Will uploading a non-playable file (like a free wallpaper) satisfy the indexing requirement?

• Does a game need to be indexed in order to appear in “Most Recent”?

Would really appreciate confirmation on these details, since it's been tough to find definitive answers. Thanks again!

Hi everyone!

As the creator of HyperMad interactive, I do everything that needs to be done - whether its designing and documenting game systems, programming and engineering the latest and greatest mechanics and interactions, composing, arranging, performing, recording, mixing & mastering soundtracks, blocking-out levels, tweaking and perfecting gameplay parameters, rigging, skinning, texturing, environment art, multimedia design, VFX design, SFX design, lighting, writing, creation of marketing content like screenshots, posters & trailers, full-stack multiplatform public outreach and social media management, web design, and overall strategic planning & execution across the Hypermad interactive lineup. Hypermad interactive is a newly launched game development studio dedicated to sparking the next evolution of gaming by crafting organic, physics-based games that feel great to play. Hypermad is currently working on 5 games - with a free  exclusive demo launching in August, 2025.

https://www.hypermadinteractive.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hypermadinteractive
https://www.youtube.com/@HyperMadinteractive
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hypermad-interactive/
https://www.facebook.com/HyperMadinteractive
https://x.com/HyperMadGames
https://bsky.app/profile/hypermadgames.bsky.social
https://ca.pinterest.com/HypermadGames/
https://www.indiedb.com/company/hypermad-interactive
https://hypermad.itch.io/

Hi everyone,

We just published our game page on itch: https://hypermad.itch.io/shellstorm

But its not indexed yet, since it doesn't have any downloadable files yet - so it doesn't show up int he "most recent" category.

In the  "Getting indexed" page says this :" As soon as you publish your page for the first time its added to the MOST RECENT list for people to find it".

Question 1) To clarify: Being added to "most recent" only applies to games which are payable - correct? Publishing a game page that isn't yet playable will not cause the game to show up in the "most recent" page - correct? But later, once we do upload our demo on itch in August, we will appear in the "most recent"?

Question 2) In order to get out page indexed ahead of our demo launch in August, I'm considering giving  away a free 4K wallpaper as a free download. Will that satisfy the indexing requirement? Is it normal or acceptable to do this on itch? Our goal is to gain visibility on itch, to get newsletter signups,  follows and Wishlists ahead of our free demo coming in August.

Question 3) a game will only show up in the "most recent" once its "indexed" correct? 

Please confirm!

Thank you

Hi everyone,

We just published our game page on itch: https://hypermad.itch.io/shellstorm

But its not indexed yet, since it doesn't have any downloadable files yet - so it doesn't show up int he "most recent" category.

In the  "Getting indexed" page says this :" As soon as you publish your page for the first time its added to the MOST RECENT list for people to find it".

Question 1) To clarify: Being added to "most recent" only applies to games which are playable - correct? Publishing a game page that isn't yet playable will NOT cause the game to show up in the "most recent" page - correct? But later, once we do upload our demo on itch in August, we will appear in the "most recent"?

Question 2) In order to get our page indexed ahead of our demo launch in August, I'm considering giving  away a free 4K wallpaper as a free download. Will that satisfy the indexing requirement? Is it normal or acceptable to do this on itch? Our goal is to gain visibility on itch and  to get demo signups ahead of our free demo coming in August.

Question 3) a game will only show up in the "most recent" once its "indexed" correct? 

Please confirm!

Thank you