Indie Developers Report Long Payout Delays on Itch.io

Indie developers are raising concerns about significant payout delays on itch.io, with some claiming they have waited more than 100 days to receive money owed from game sales.

Reports about the issue first surfaced on Reddit and were later documented by independent tabletop news outlet Rascal. While itch.io has acknowledged some problems with its payout system, affected developers say the lack of communication has made the situation especially frustrating.

How Long Are Developers Waiting for Payments?

According to accounts shared by indie creators, the delays go far beyond the platform’s advertised 10–14 day payout window. One developer posting under the name u/seanutsfrox said they have been waiting on more than $6,000 for months despite completing all tax validation requirements.

“From the start, I’ve written to itch.io support multiple times — not a single reply to any ticket,” they wrote. “After months, my tax profile was marked as ‘Validated.’ And yet, no payouts.”

Seanutsfrox added that the delay forced them to cancel work with a freelancer, disrupting their project’s timeline. “We need funds to continue development, but instead we’ve been left waiting without any explanation, wondering if we’ll ever see our money.”

Other developers echoed similar frustrations. Designer Amanda Franck told Rascal that her last payment took 25 days to process. Artist Perplexing Ruins described the situation as “stressful,” noting that many creators depend on payouts for basic living expenses.

Who Is Affected the Most?

The delays appear to primarily affect developers using the “collected by itch.io” model, where the platform handles payments and distributes revenue via PayPal or Payoneer. This system is convenient because creators only need to complete one tax interview and don’t have to deal directly with multiple payment providers.

However, that convenience comes at the cost of being dependent on itch.io’s internal processes. Developers who instead use the “direct to you” model, linking their own PayPal or Stripe accounts, report fewer issues, though that method requires more setup and ongoing administrative work.

Itch.io founder Leaf Corcoran (leafo) recently addressed the situation in a community post, stating that the platform had "refined" its payout process and now offers a dedicated support form/page to handle payment issues. This support page allows users to submit requests directly from their dashboard without needing to send an email. These requests will be reviewed by the payout team instead of being routed through the general support queue.

Why Is This Happening?

On Discord, an itch.io rep explained that the payout delays were partly tied to the site’s recent crackdown on adult content. Back in late July, itch.io pulled NSFW games from search and browsing after getting pressure from payment processors like Visa and Mastercard. The move came after a push from Australian activist group Collective Shout, which has also claimed credit for getting adult games removed from storefronts like Steam.

That decision set off a wave of payout requests as some developers pulled their projects or looked for other ways to sell. With a very small support team, itch.io quickly got buried under emails, and the backlog only grew worse. To make things worse, the platform was also dealing with bot attacks and messy tax validation issues, both of which slowed things down even further.

The fallout has been serious: the developer of Vintage Story even disabled sales on itch.io, saying payouts had gone unpaid for three months. While itch.io has since started re-indexing some NSFW titles, payment processor pressure and limited resources are still creating major headaches for the platform.