Vintage Story developers claim itch.io has withheld payments for three months

The indie game storefront, itch.io, is caught up in a new controversy that surprisingly has nothing to do with NSFW games. Vintage Story, by developer Tyron, is described as “an uncompromising wilderness survival sandbox game inspired by eldritch horror themes.” Visually, Vintage Story has some similarities to games like Minecraft in its cube-like voxel design, but it is aiming for a more realistic look, more accurate simulation, and overall darker themes. All seems good until the recent update from the developer that the game will no longer be purchasable until further notice.

Vintage Story developers claim that itch.io has withheld payment for over three months

The message is loud and clear on Vintage Story’s itch.io page. At the top of the screen, in all capital letters, are the words “PURCHASING DISABLED.” Below, there is a brief explanation, which reads, “Purchase of accounts through itch.io is disabled until further notice. The itch corp has not paid us for over 3 months.” Otherwise, the page seems normal, featuring a video of gameplay, screenshots, and a general description of the game. At the time of writing, the itch corp has not responded to these accusations.

The team behind Vintage Story has also shared updates on social media, apparently including in the game’s Discord server, which was shared in a screenshot on Reddit. On social media, they explain: “The itch corp has not paid us in over 3 months, despite multiple requests from our side. We will keep selling the game on our site and the Humble Store without interruption.” These posts include a few more details, but it’s still hard to get the entire story.

Some users have wondered why there isn’t some sort of direct payment for creators on itch, but according to itch’s website, there are two primary payment methods: Direct and Collected. With the “Collected” method, “payments will go directly to itch.io, and you are responsible for claiming your earnings at a later time by requesting a payout.” It seems that Vintage Story uses this method and has not received their payout in the last three months despite sending requests.

A messaged shared on Discord, and posted to Reddit.Screenshot shared to Reddit by u/Blitcut

Many users also suggested that Vintage Story finally come to Steam, which the developers have avoided until now. From the game’s FAQ page, Tyron lists six explanations as to why the game is not on Steam yet, but also admits, “…that it would be wise to release it on Steam eventually. We do appreciate Steam’s ability to reach a large audience as well as offering country-specific pricing.” Ultimately, Vintage Story has been doing fine on several other digital storefronts, but maybe this current issue with itch could be what turns that “eventually” into a “soon.”

A scenic landscape.Vintage Story, Developer: Anego Studios

Finally, there was one very level-headed commenter on Reddit who explained that while this is an odd situation, there aren’t enough details to hold anyone entirely accountable just yet. There could be some issues with how the payment is sent, if it’s through a processor like PayPal, that could be a point of failure, too. But it would be odd if itch hadn’t shared any kind of explanation over those three months. For now, we’ll have to wait to see if there are any further updates.

• indie games
• Minecraft (franchise)
• survival sandbox