I want to check out some indie games, because they are simply not found anywhere else but im abit scared and don't want to fear malware everytime i buy a new release from some untrustworthy developer. Have you guys improved on this or is it still the same? this is the only thing that is keeping me back and probably won't touch this site unless there is some progress made. You guys do good work removing the games, but it's just after the damage has been done.
As far as I’m aware, there is some automated testing being done when someone uploads a new project, that makes sure they are not uploading something malicious. I’m not sure if this was the case a few years back.
Very often, a game is mistakenly flagged as “malicious” by an antivirus. This is a known issue in the indie game dev community. If a project is fairly popular, I’d say it should be for the most part safe.
Hope that helps :)
We’re an open publishing platform. Although we have may automated checks to detect and prevent bad actors, we will never guarantee that we have tested all software uploaded to the platform before it is made publicly available. As always, I recommend you treat any page you see with scrutiny as you are downloading software off the internet. If something looks suspicious then feel free to report it. You can also decide to browse the works of more well known or established creators, or limit the games you play to browser based HTML games.
Hope that helps
Could you perhaps start limiting what new accounts can upload, or have better verification? I just got someone trying to get me to "beta test a game" they uploaded in a RAR format, saying that zip doesn't work. Both the "game" & account were created half an hour ago! Surely it's not that easy to upload malware, right??
This also happens in Steam, it is known that Valve allows anything and everything but anime highschool games. https://www.makeuseof.com/malware-hiding-inside-steam-profile-pictures/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2019/08/09/critical-steam-security-warn...
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/steam-game-allegedly-mining-cryptocurrency/
while itch.io doesnt block every new malware or such, it does at least a better job than a billion dollar company. Valve only claims it blocks and has malware scanning software. However over the years Valve fail to block at least 200 dangerous malware since 2012, 50% of games are copys of other games, 80% stolen content and over 10 lawsuits by the government of different countrys.
While itch.io has nearly less problems and does a better job.
Steam at least has a somewhat higher barrier for uploading games, and makes it harder for throwaway accounts. (paperwork signing, bank and tax information, identity verification, and deposit fees of $100 per game)
Itch appears to have none of that as a requirement. Obviously I'm not asking for them to add required paperwork/bank stuff, but higher verification for uploading a game compared to creating an account would be nice.
well no, steam has let in developers who clearly stole games: https://gamerant.com/biohazard-village-copycat-game-removed-steam/
There is also the problem with steamworks, it allows anyone to kick anyone: https://www.shacknews.com/article/100567/locked-out-was-sickbrick-stolen-from-it...
clear cut case of stolen RPG Makers: https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/steamwatch-steam-developer-called-out-by-comm...
Copy cats: https://screenrant.com/among-us-most-obvious-clone-pretend-steam/
Lets developers lie: https://www.destructoid.com/the-war-z-launches-on-steam-amid-accusations-of-frau...
Valve removes anyone game however they want: http://angryjoeshow.com/ajsa/forums/topic/23557-ride-to-hell-retribution-finally...
you can ask the developer of this game, his game got removed because Valve thinks its a porn game: https://seeminglypointless.itch.io/18orolder
So no Valve doesnt do a better job or "higher barrier", the money to pay the $100 is either stolen or easy for them to get because they are scammers. It is also note that Valve does not check the bank or documentations, any scammer removed can easy come back with the same or fake documents.
