Funko has now responded to the temporary shutdown of indie game marketplace site Itch.io after the incident was allegedly caused by its affiliated brand protection software. Read on to find out what Funko had to say!
Funko Clarified That They Did Not Request Full Takedown
Now In Private Talks With Itch.io
Collectibles company Funko has now publicly responded to the Itch.io takedown through its official X (Twitter) account. The post began with Funko saying that they "hold a deep respect and appreciation for indie games, indie gamers, and indie developers. We’re fans of fans, and we love the creativity and passion that define the indie gaming community."
They then acknowledged that one of their brand protection partners (in this case, BrandShield) identified an Itch.io page "imitating the Funko Fusion development website," and thus, a takedown request for said page was issued. However, Funko clarified that they did not request a takedown for the entire platform, and were happy that the site was back up by the morning.
Funko assured that they have reached out to Itch.io "to engage with them on this issue and we deeply appreciate the understanding of the gaming community as the details are determined."
However, as detailed by Itch.io’s owner, Leaf, himself on Hacker News, it was no simple "takedown request" but rather a "fraud and phishing report." The report was sent to both the site’s host and registrar, to which the latter’s automated system took the whole domain down despite the owner taking immediate action and removing the cause of the issue. Additionally, Funko’s team reportedly even contacted Leaf’s mother regarding the incident, which the post did not mention.
For more information on this incident, check out Game8’s earlier article on Itch.io’s shutdown.
