I would like to see a big warning on the purchase page for projects that charge for individual updates. I would also like some clarification about whether this sort of update policy is allowed within the ToS.
There is at least one NSFW game on this site that requires you to purchase each new update separately, with updates coming out every 2 weeks or so for about $7 each. You have probably seen it if you ever browse for “New & Popular” games tagged “Adult”.
There is a very small disclaimer on the page warning people about the update policy:
Please note that if you purchase on itch.io, you are purchasing only the latest build as an alternative to patreon monthly updates.
However, that warning is very easy to gloss over, and it is also displayed as an image instead of as real text, meaning it would not be seen by anyone using a screen reader or anyone ctrl+F-ing on the page to search for a warning.
The developer accomplishes this “pay-for-updates” strategy by uploading each update as a separate project and hiding the old project, rather than uploading updated files to the existing project. I have seen multiple comments on this game from users who are confused because they cannot download the new version after purchasing a previous version. It goes against very common assumptions created by “early access” games – you buy it now, and it will be finished later.
It feels like the developer is gaming the system to me. Since every update is a brand new project, the game is constantly at the top of “New & Popular”, crowding out space for actually new projects. And it also has the added “benefit” of hiding reviews and comments on previous versions from users warning about this behavior.