Posted a similar reply to the post here https://forum.yoyogames.com/index.php?threads/amaze-me-game-jam.86376/post-51981...
I just want to say we're listening to this feedback for when we do things again. Thanks for letting us know how you feel about the rules this time around. There was a lot of things thrown out this time around so we wanted to see what worked and what didn't. Appreciate this! Thanks.
Viewing post in Games Should Be Made DURING THE JAM PERIOD
It happens. :) I think a lot of us are from the GMC forums and expected that level of Jam prep/rules. The GMC Jam, however, has taken YEARS to fine-tune into the well-structured jam experience it is today. Itch.io is a completely different format/environment so it's understandable to try something different! Overall I had a blast and hope that you all continue to try and branch out to the community like this more often!
The cash prize will always make for a slightly bitter experience (imo) since there is a direct monetary reward and people will try to find any way to abuse the system if they can (thankfully that really didn't happen here, but in the future, who knows). I would love for you all to offer the complete suite more often as a reward though!
Thank you all for the jam experience, and I hope to participate in another one soon!! :D