The indie game publisher itch.io was briefly taken offline due to a “bogus phishing report” by Funko, the company behind Funko Pops.
In a statement shared by itch.io’s official X account, as well as on BlueSky, the company said:
“I kid you not, @itch.io has been taken down by Funko of “Funko Pop” because they use some trash “AI-Powered” Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain“.
I kid you not, @itchio has been taken down by @OriginalFunko because they use some trash "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software called @BrandShieldltd that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, @iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain
— itch.io (@itchio) December 9, 2024
itch.io claims that Brandshield—an AI-powered digital protection service that “monitors digital landscapes for trademark infringements, phishing attempts, brand abuse, and counterfeit activity” —has created and sent a phishing report to the registrar of itch.io, iwantmyname, who would in response disable itch.io’s domain.
itch.io has been the home for many unique, creative, and powerful indie games. It not only hosts hundreds and thousands of titles, but also donates to various charities and supports social movements such as Women’s Rights, Pride, and Black Lives Matter. Funko, the company behind everyone’s favourite big-headed vinyl toys, has also been active in the video game industry with its recent co-op action game, Funko Fusion, which released to mixed reviews.
The website domain has since suddenly come back online at time of writing. Funko and Brandshield have yet to publicly comment regarding the shutdown of itch.io.
About the Author
Jarrod Harrison
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Philosopher, avid gamer, and miniature painter. Jarrod is a lover of JRPG’s, connoisseur of all things horror, and professional Last of Us Part II defender.
