At The Punished Backlog, we hold ourselves to the high standard our readership deserves. Read on for a detailed look into our site’s policies, including our positions on key issues facing today’s games industry.
Editorial Process
All articles that are published on the site go through an extensive editorial process. First, Staff Writers must submit their pitches to our Editorial Team. Once approved, a Lead Editor is assigned to the piece, working with the writer to ensure their initial draft is polished, well-positioned, and aligned with our style guide. The writer is asked to review any edits, after which the draft returns to the Lead Editor to proof the changes. Pieces may go through additional rounds of editing as needed.
Once a piece has been copyedited and revised, the Lead Editor adds it to our CMS. At this point, a second Editor proofs the article for any lingering errors or inaccuracies before scheduling the piece to go live. For more on our post-publishing editorial process, read our fact-checking and corrections policies.
Fact-Checking
We operate based on facts and truth. Our editorial process is designed to ensure pieces include up-to-date information about publishers, developers, the games they create, and the industry at large. We expect the same journalistic integrity among our Staff Writers, encouraging them to self-edit and verify information before submitting drafts for review.
In the event we get a fact wrong (it happens), we will issue a correction.
Corrections
While we strive to always get the facts correct prior to publication, if we ever make a mistake or the available information changes, we will issue a correction as quickly as possible. Our corrections will always include the date of the update, along with details about what we got wrong or what changed about a situation or game, and why. We’ll either share our correction at the top of the piece or at the end, with supplemental in-line footnotes as needed.
Reviews
The Punished Backlog often receives press copies of games for review, either from PR agencies representing publishers, the publishers themselves, or independent game developers. When reviewing a press code, we will always include a disclaimer at the bottom of the article explaining that we received the code for review.
We score games on a 100-point scale from 1.0 to 10. Generally speaking, we seek out games that align with the interests of our specific Staff Writers. We come from a place of love and try to highlight the brightest elements of a developer’s work. That said, we don’t shy away from constructive criticism, especially when that feedback is an opportunity to help a studio improve. Learn more about our review scale.
Note: Because we are often reviewing a pre-release version of a game, post-launch content may differ from the build we cover. In the event a game adds new features or functionality at or shortly after launch, we will issue a correction recapping what changed and how the updated experience differs from the reviewer’s initial experience. We typically do not update game scores unless a game changes significantly at launch compared to a review build. What constitutes “significant” is up to the discretion of the reviewer and the assigned Lead Editor.
BDS Movement
The Punished Backlog participates in No Games For Genocide, which has partnered with the BDS movement on a total boycott of all Microsoft products and services, including Xbox. In solidarity with BDS and the Palestinian people, we will not be covering Xbox’s hardware, studios, or games until Microsoft recognizes and ceases its complicity in the genocide in Gaza. Learn more here.
Generative AI
Artificial intelligence is upending the world as we know it, and the games industry is no exception. At The Punished Backlog, we are staunchly anti-generative AI. We don’t use it in our writing, we don’t use it internally with our teams, and we try diligently not to cover games that use it for development or marketing. If it comes to light that a game we previously covered used AI in any form, we will issue a correction.
As creatives ourselves, we have a zero-tolerance policy for AI use in writing. In the event we discover a writer has used AI, their work will be immediately removed from the site, and the writer will be removed from our masthead.
Comment Moderation
Our site welcomes over 100,000 visitors a month. As a result, we often receive comments on articles. Our general rule of thumb is to allow any comment that offers constructive criticism of a piece, or that furthers the dialogue in another thoughtful way. (Compliments are always welcome!) What we do not condone are comments that attack the writer, hurl insults, or spread hate. All comments are moderated, and we will not hesitate to delete comments that fail to meet the baseline we expect from our community.
Ads and Compensation
Our Editorial Team manages a team of Staff Writers. All 20+ of us work for The Punished Backlog voluntarily, without a formal compensation structure. Our site does not currently operate at a profit (we run no ads, nor do we participate in sponsorships or affiliate programs). As a result, the site is funded purely by our three Editors, with occasional compensation given to Staff Writers for seasonal writing challenges.
While we do not currently monetize the site, we may revisit that policy in the future. If we do so, we will update this section accordingly.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Punished Backlog is nothing without our team of incredible writers. We’re proud to feature voices that include femme writers, people of color, neurodivergent writers, and other intersectionalities.
We believe strongly in the power of diversity and inclusion in the games industry and will always fight to highlight underrepresented creators as part of our mission. We also believe in equity and will fight bigotry and injustice tooth and nail with our platform.