Netflix-Owned Game Studio Removes Beloved Indie Title From Itch.io

Oxenfree is simply a beloved communicative escapade video crippled that evokes Goonies and Stranger Things. It’s disposable beauteous overmuch everywhere, from integer storefront Steam to the Nintendo Switch. But fans who bought it connected indie distributor itch.io got an unpleasant email connected Sunday. If you bought Oxenfree connected itch, you had until October 1 to download it oregon it would beryllium gone forever.

Itch.io is simply a unsocial storefront. It’s a spot wherever indie devs amusement disconnected their works and radical merchantability games, zines, and comics. Developers selling worldly connected itch debar the hefty chopped different storefronts similar Steam oregon the Epic Store instrumentality and they often merchantability the crippled DRM free. Players buying Oxenfree from itch could simply download a zip record with the executable inside. If they mislaid the record they could ever log into itch and download it again.

But not for long.

“Oxenfree volition nary longer beryllium disposable connected itch.io opening October 1, 2024,” work an email the workplace sent done itch.io. “If you person already downloaded the game, you’ll beryllium capable to support it and proceed to play from your downloaded files. If you person not already done so, you tin download files until October 1, 2024 to support the game. Everyone who worked connected Oxenfree profoundly appreciates the enactment from our assemblage implicit the past 8 years and we anticipation to spot you connected different work oregon timeline soon. Thank you!”

As of this writing, the itch.io leafage Oxenfree is down. At archetypal blush this whitethorn not look similar that large a deal. Oxenfree is wide disposable connected aggregate integer storefronts for $9.99, the aforesaid terms Night School Studio was charging for it connected itch. It’s besides disposable for escaped connected Netflix.

Netflix has been trying to interruption into the games marketplace for years now. Anyone with a Netflix sub tin download and play assorted games connected their telephone oregon tablet. That includes Oxenfree. The streaming workplace acquired Night School Studio 3 years ago.

Online, Oxenfree fans blamed Netflix for the removal of the crippled from itch. “This is apt Netflix doing this,” Wario64 said successful a station connected X.

“This 100% is simply a Netflix telephone alternatively of a Night Studio call. At slightest the Steam mentation seems to stay up, truthful it isn’t similar it’s getting wholly delisted. But still, a shame for those who bought that crippled connected itch.io specifically,” said a poster connected the gaming forum ResetEra.

The concern is simply a reminder that everything online is ephemeral. If you’re buying a integer mentation of a video game, movie, oregon medium from a integer storefront there’s nary warrant you’ll ever person entree to it. The power is wholly successful the hands of the distributor.

Night School Studio did not instantly respond to Gizmodo’s petition for comment.