Editorial Policy

Eurogamer is a website about video games and gaming culture.

We publish in-depth reporting, analysis and criticism related to video games. We also run a YouTube channel that complements the written content we publish on this website.

This editorial policy sets out the ways in which we go about our jobs. If you feel that our work has fallen short of these standards, please contact the editors.

Reporting

We report stories as we see them, as accurately as possible.

When reporting information that may not be publicly available or which may paint an individual or organisation in a way they find disagreeable, we always seek comment.

If we receive new information after publication, we update our existing story or add a new one as necessary.

When notified of potential factual errors in our work, we will attempt to verify them and publish a correction if a mistake has been made.

We also offer anyone mentioned in a story a right of reply. If you feel you or your company has been misrepresented or wish to expand on a story please contact the editors.

We do not publish information received from sources (named or anonymous) without attempting to confirm it with additional sources. We protect the identities of anyone who provides information to us anonymously. We do not pay sources for information.

When reporting on information revealed by another publication, we always provide prominent credit and link through to the original work.

Sometimes our work requires us to travel to report on events, games, people and organisations. If we accept travel and accommodation from a third party to facilitate our editorial coverage, then we disclose it within the relevant article(s).

What we choose to cover is at our sole editorial discretion, with the decision informed by what will serve our readers and what interests our editorial team.

Reviews

Please see our complete review policy for information on how we handle reviews of video games.

Professional relationships

In the course of our work we speak to game developers, publishers and other organisations, liaising with creative and public relations personnel, and always seek to conduct ourselves professionally.

In order to receive materials and access, it is sometimes necessary to agree to embargoes that bind us to publishing content after a certain date and time. It may also be necessary to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), which we only do if we are satisfied the NDA will not compromise or inhibit the honesty and integrity of the resulting work.

In the event that a company stops talking to us completely (sometimes referred to as 'blacklisting'), we will do our best to deliver the same high standards of reporting, fairness, analysis and criticism without being swayed by the circumstances. Out of respect for individual game creators and their work, we will not refer to these incidents in public unless there is a strong editorial imperative to do so - e.g. the integrity of the publication is under threat, or publication of critical information such as highly anticipated reviews will be delayed as a result.

The Eurogamer editorial team does not accept promotional items or other gifts from publishers and creators. We only accept games, items for review and things that enable us to do our job (i.e. consoles and peripherals). Items received may not be sold or traded.

If we receive promotional items without requesting them, they will be sent to the charity GamesAid for sale or auction.

Staff and contributors are not permitted to do "mock reviews" for or provide paid consultancy to game creators. New staff and contributors may not write about a company they have worked for in any capacity within the last two years.

Conflicts of interest

Editorial staff will not write about companies in which they have a financial interest or by which they or a family member have been employed. Any potential conflict of interest - such as reporting on a game worked on by a former member of Eurogamer staff - will be clearly disclosed within relevant articles.

Advertising and commercial activities

Eurogamer's editorial and advertising departments are separate. The content that appears on the Eurogamer site and YouTube channel is entirely at the editors' discretion and is never influenced by commercial considerations.

Our advertising team believes in being fair, honest and transparent in our dealings with advertisers.

We do not accept advertising that obscures content (i.e. interstitials or overlays), that plays sound automatically or that features offensive content. Additionally, we do not accept inappropriate advertising content and will act to remove it if it appears on the website. If you believe adverts on the site are falling short of these goals, please contact us.

We sometimes link to retailers (e.g. Amazon) and receive money from any purchases made. These links do not influence editorial decisions in any way. They only appear in articles related to the product in question and use neutral language, for example: "Order [this product] from Amazon."

Eurogamer occasionally hosts 'sponsored content', in the form of videos created by our video team and funded as part of an advertising campaign sold by the commercial department. This content is always labelled as 'sponsored' and we always clearly disclose who funded the content.

At Eurogamer, we seek out in-game promo codes to help get readers free stuff in them. This could be from rare Pokemon in Pokemon Go to XP boosts in a mobile game. To make sure that these pages are always up-to-date, we test every one of these codes to make sure they work and do regular sweeps to remove expired promo codes. We have no affiliation with these promo codes and do not make any direct revenue from readers using them.

Gamer Network

Eurogamer is owned by Gamer Network Limited - now part of IGN Entertainment and Ziff Davis. Gamer Network publishes a variety of websites and YouTube channels including GamesIndustry. It also has commercial partnerships with other websites such as VG247, Outside Xbox, Rock Paper Shotgun and Nintendo Life. These publications are operated independently of Eurogamer and have their own policies.

There are local editions of Eurogamer published by local teams in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Portugal. The Eurogamer editorial team collaborates with each of these local sites, although they produce the majority of their own content and have their own editorial values, which may mean that games are sometimes rated differently.

These businesses are separate from Eurogamer's editorial department. Eurogamer will always disclose its relationship when covering activities operated by its parent company, Gamer Network. Any such coverage is entirely at the editors' discretion and is never influenced by commercial considerations.

All Gamer Network staff are aware of this editorial policy and stand by it individually and collectively.

This policy was last updated on 6th August 2024.