Software platforms holder like Epic, but also hardware platform like Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PS4, resort into software exclusivity to get their platforms widespread.

These huge corp. have the power to give away both hardware and software at very cheap price in effort to lure developer and customers into their walled garden; smaller player like itch.io are consonantly pushed down by the gravitational weight these platforms have.

Developers who reach a certain degree of relevance on Itch.io (like Raft or Ravenfield ) are inclined to abandon the platform. Heading towards more more "worthy" seas such as Steam (or being bribed in exclusivity by Epic, Nintendo or whatever company try to make successful products their leverage to walled garden).

I think that what most indie developer love about itch.io, is acknowledgment that, while in the Itch.io platform, they are not tools. Because if you, as indie developer, accept "free money" from Epic you know there's something wrong as such thing as "free money" does exist. They are giving money to you, they must be buying something.

Epic is the most loyal servant for Microsoft/Sony/Apple and even Nintendo. Epic games: "we play open, but if you got close... we will be your faithful bitch".

- Android? the only open platform: let's make our own closed walled garden there.
- Linux? Hell no! (even if they advise they support Linux with their engine: just the bare potential to lure developer... then force them to cut their support to Linux)

How Itch.io can compete/stay alive with companies who give away "free money" around without losing the truly thing you are? And that's when I remind myself of the failure of Ouya: learn from it.

Willing or not, its clear that Itch.io and Ouya seems to be in a narrative where they are sort of brother&sister. Ouya was a complete success in what customer and indie developer thrown themselves into: a project of complete independence and steer away from any sort of trickery such as we're used to see with brand like Epic, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.

The failure of Ouya came when it forced themselves into the weird narrative of revolutionize the whole (or part of it) gaming industry: revolution of the industry won't happen "by demand" but by a real need.If you're an indie developer who make an exceptionally cool Mod for Arma 3... when you begin to collect big money be sure a big company will come into play as well: they will throw a "cartoonish" version of your Arma 3's mod and will use the raw power of their investor to crush you onto ground. Taking your idea and your whole business.

You can't expect to say "we're the good guys" and succeed like you see in the movies: you have to be cunning and understand what work and what not.

Even if Ouya was a success... the only thing it could revolutionize would be a "PUBG's success"... and then the hegemony industry will thrown Fortnite, then, and Apex: they will chase, target  and get you down to take back what you did. There would be an "EA Ouya" exactly like the big shiny product today is a "EA's PUBG" called Apex.

This is what I think its the "Pink elephant in the room".

itch.io is doing fine, if anything i'm more worry about GOG falling because they too are a "walled garden". People talk about GOG all the time sure and they are with a big company, a company that has slowly been making games around 1 series that the author never plan to make more than 1 game with cycberpunk being their big thing and if that fails GOG fails since emplyess also aren't treated well. All of GOG games are paid which is understandable but they do not offer free games (no limited times do not count) which is why GOG has not beaten Steam.

I could go on  but the ponit is that itch has zero problems, Gamejolt has a fandom problem also gamejolt never follows feedbacks, Humble Bundle reason it stay alive is by giving up and working with steam/IGN, and every other game store site that i know has a problem with promoting themselfs (itch.io is part of it).

I know itch.io isn't going away for a long a time people trust it more than any other store on the net. All the myth talk about "not getting enough views/buyers" is because those developers are new and like all new developers they do mistakes in marketing.

edit 2/26/19:

Omg i hate when i'm right: https://techraptor.net/content/gog-lays-off-about-a-dozen-employees

I wasn't advising the imminent demise of the Itch.io platform: I too think/presume itch.io is doing fine as surviving entity.

The problem is the margin of itch.io growth; which is being eaten by more dirty tactics of Epic (bribe popular indie developer and throwing money at loss until they don't find a nice spot vs. Steam: then fuck them all with Microsoft's deal they got)

I would too complain Valve's Steam; but that's more an issue on the indie side. Valve was there straight from the beginning of digital store distribution.

What I do complain is about indie developers who, once reaching a relative success, forget the home community they come from: just because they dream to be big player with Valve or Epic.

As indie developer you can still growth with Valve, Epic, Google or whatever: just don't forget to support itch.io (if you still have resources to do so at least)/where you come from.