Next-Gen Gaming Blog publishes editorial content about video games, upcoming releases, gaming platforms, technical performance and selected gaming hardware for readers in the United Kingdom, the United States and beyond. These principles explain how topics are selected, sourced, written, reviewed, labelled, updated and corrected.
They apply to editorial content published on nextgengamingblog.com.
What We Publish
NGB publishes several types of material depending on the subject, available evidence and usefulness to readers.
News
Timely reporting about game announcements, releases, delays, platforms, trailers, showcases, patches, publishers and developers. News distinguishes announced or attributable information from details that remain uncertain or subject to change.
Explainers
Articles that provide context around a game, platform, technical issue, release strategy, subscription or industry development. An explainer should help readers understand the subject rather than simply restate a definition or announcement.
Analysis
Interpretation of announcements, platform strategies, player expectations, technical performance and industry decisions. Analysis should make clear which evidence supports its conclusions and where uncertainty remains.
Guides
Practical information about release timing, availability, editions, requirements, settings, compatibility and other reader questions. Guides should identify relevant platform, version and regional limitations when those details affect the information.
Reviews and Verdicts
First-hand editorial assessments based on access to the relevant game, build, platform or product. Testing conditions and material limitations should be identified when they affect the verdict.
Rankings and Comparisons
Ordered or category-based assessments using criteria relevant to the subject, scope and purpose of the list.
Interviews and Commentary
Direct interviews, attributable statements and relevant commentary from identifiable sources.
Opinion
Author-led arguments, reactions, predictions and Hype Check assessments. Supporting factual statements remain subject to the same sourcing standards as other editorial material.
NGB does not currently publish sponsored articles or partner content as a regular format.
Topic Selection
Topics may be selected according to:
- relevance to games and gaming technology;
- reader usefulness;
- timeliness;
- public or player interest;
- availability and quality of sources;
- impact on purchasing or platform decisions;
- the need to clarify rumours or technical claims;
- the importance of a release, delay, patch or platform change;
- the availability of meaningful first-hand testing.
A press release, promotional pitch or access offer does not create an obligation to publish.
A story may be declined when it falls outside the site’s focus, cannot be supported adequately or would add little beyond information already available to readers.
Source-Based Publishing
NGB prefers identifiable and direct sources wherever practical.
Sources may include:
- official announcements;
- platform storefronts;
- technical documentation;
- patch notes;
- trailers and presentations;
- public company statements;
- direct interviews;
- first-hand testing;
- public records;
- reputable original reporting;
- clearly identified measurements and datasets.
Promotional claims should be attributed to their source rather than repeated as established facts when the underlying claim has not been independently established.
Source quality is considered in relation to the claim. An official announcement can establish what a company announced, while first-hand observation, technical documentation or independent testing may be needed to establish how a feature or product performs in practice.
Publishing Workflow
1. Topic Assessment
An editor or contributor considers whether the subject is relevant to NGB, sufficiently supported and useful to readers.
2. Research and Source Collection
Relevant primary sources are reviewed where available, with secondary reporting used for additional context or corroboration when appropriate. Material uncertainty and missing context are identified before publication where possible.
3. Drafting
Editorial text is written and edited by NGB contributors and editors. AI is not used to draft, rewrite or translate editorial articles.
4. Editorial Review
Review may consider clarity, relevance, sourcing, structure, headline accuracy, attribution, disclosures and consistency with the applicable editorial standards.
5. Source and Link Check
Material names, dates, quotations, platforms, prices, links and technical details may be checked against the sources relevant to the article.
6. Sensitive Claim Review
Claims involving allegations, cybersecurity, privacy, harassment, legal disputes, safety or identifiable people receive additional scrutiny appropriate to the subject.
7. Publication Decision
The final decision may be to publish, revise, delay or decline the article.
The exact workflow depends on the format, complexity, urgency and potential impact of the material. Not every article requires the same level of review or involvement from multiple editors.
Facts and Editorial Judgement
Factual claims may include release dates, platforms, prices, features, technical measurements, quotations and documented updates.
Editorial judgements may include whether a game is enjoyable, offers good value, appears ready for release or deserves its current level of hype.
Opinion does not remove the obligation to represent supporting facts accurately.
Readers should be able to recognise when an article moves from documented information into interpretation, assessment or recommendation.
Content Labels
- News: timely reporting based on attributable developments and available evidence.
- Analysis: interpretation of facts and context.
- Explainer: background and clarification.
- Guide: practical reader information.
- Review: a first-hand assessment based on access to the relevant game or product.
- Ranking: an ordered or category-based evaluation.
- Opinion: an author’s argument or judgement.
- Interview: direct questions and attributable responses.
- Methodology: an explanation of an evaluation or publishing process.
NGB does not currently use Sponsored or Partner Content as regular editorial formats. If those formats are introduced, they will be clearly labelled and governed by the applicable commercial-content policy.
Labels are intended to help readers understand the nature of the material before interpreting its claims or conclusions.
Reviews and Hands-On Coverage
First-hand claims require actual access to the relevant game, build, platform or product by the contributor responsible for the assessment.
Where relevant to the conclusion, coverage may identify the tested platform, hardware configuration, version, settings, testing period, pre-release access and significant limitations.
Preview, demo, alpha, beta and Early Access coverage should reflect the development stage available to the contributor and should not be presented as a final review of a completed product.
The scope of access and testing should be described clearly enough for readers to understand the basis of the assessment.
Rankings and Recommendations
Rankings may use numerical criteria, category-based evaluation or editorial judgement appropriate to the subject.
Commercial arrangements do not provide advertisers, partners, publishers, developers or access providers with the right to select ranking positions, scores, verdicts or recommendations.
Paid visibility does not determine editorial ranking position.
A ranking should make its scope sufficiently clear so that readers do not mistake a limited editorial selection for a complete list of every eligible product.
Advertising and Commercial Separation
NGB may display advertising, including advertising delivered through Google advertising services.
Advertising arrangements do not provide approval rights over unrelated editorial coverage, reviews, rankings or corrections.
The appearance of an advertisement near an article does not mean that the advertiser sponsored, approved or contributed to the surrounding editorial material.
Editorial inquiries and commercial inquiries use separate contact routes so that advertising proposals can be handled independently from ordinary editorial communication.
Use of AI
NGB may use AI-generated or AI-assisted imagery for selected article covers, illustrations and other visual materials.
AI is not used to write, draft, rewrite, summarise, translate or prepare editorial article text, nor is it used for source selection, fact-checking or news monitoring.
AI-generated visuals must not be presented as official gameplay screenshots, developer-supplied artwork, authentic documentary photography or evidence that an event occurred.
Editors remain responsible for selecting and presenting visual material in a way that does not misrepresent its origin or evidentiary value.
Updates and Corrections
Articles may be updated when release dates, patches, prices, platforms or other material facts change.
Factual errors identified after publication are handled under the Corrections Policy.
Minor grammar, spelling, formatting and presentation changes may be made without a separate correction notice when they do not change the substance of the article.
An update should not be described as a correction when the original information was accurate at publication and the underlying circumstances changed later.
Archiving and Removal
NGB generally preserves published content as part of the editorial record.
Content may be corrected, updated, archived or removed because of substantial factual problems, duplication, privacy concerns, safety, technical migration or loss of editorial value.
Accurate coverage is not normally removed solely because it is unfavourable to a person, company or product.
Where an older article remains available, its publication date and original context remain relevant to how the material should be understood.
Reader Feedback
General feedback:
Editorial questions:
editorial@nextgengamingblog.com
Corrections: