1. Our mission

The Backlog Brief helps players with limited free time decide which games are worth playing. We focus on the decision: how long a game really takes, whether it’s worth the money, and what to play next. Everything we publish should help a reader make that decision with confidence.

Our coverage is written for players in the United States. You can learn more about our team on our About Us page.

2. Editorial independence

Our editorial decisions are made only by our team. Advertisers, publishers, developers, and affiliate partners have no say in what we cover or what we conclude.

• No paid verdicts. We don’t accept payment for reviews, verdicts, rankings, or a place in our recommendations.
• Review copies. Free copies of games never guarantee coverage or a positive verdict. When an article is based on a free copy, we say so in that article.
• Sponsored content. If we ever publish sponsored content, it will be clearly labeled as sponsored and kept separate from our verdicts.
• Advertising and affiliate links. Ads and affiliate commissions keep the site free, but they never influence our verdicts. Details are in our disclaimer.
• Conflicts of interest. Team members don’t work on articles about games or companies they have a personal or financial connection to.

3. Accuracy and fact-checking

Every article we publish is researched and analyzed by our team before it goes live. Before publishing, we check:

• Playtime figures against more than one source, and our evening calculations against those figures
• Prices, editions, and platforms against official store pages at the time of writing
• Patch and update details against official patch notes and developer announcements
• Release dates, names, and other facts against official sources
• That every link works and points to the right page

If we can’t confirm a fact, we either leave it out or clearly say that it is unconfirmed. How we turn research into verdicts is explained on our How We Review page.

4. Sources and attribution

We prefer primary sources, such as developers, publishers, platform holders, and official stores. For playtime and reception, we also use large player-reported datasets and established critic reviews.

• We link to important sources so readers can check them.
• Quotes are always attributed to the person or outlet that said them.
• We never copy another publication’s work or present it as our own.
• Game screenshots and artwork belong to their owners and are credited where we use them.

5. Honesty about our experience

Our verdicts are based on research and analysis. We never claim to have played a game, reached a certain point, or tested something ourselves unless we actually did, and when we have, the article says so clearly.

We don’t invent personal stories, fake testimonials, or made-up player quotes to make an article sound more convincing.

6. How we use AI tools

Our team uses AI tools to help work faster, but people are responsible for every article we publish. AI helps us do the work. It does not replace our research or our judgment.

Every fact in an AI-assisted draft is checked by our team against real sources before publishing. The same editorial standards on this page apply to every article, however it was written.

7. Fairness and balance

A useful verdict includes the downsides. Every review explains who a game is for, who should skip it, and why. When critics or players strongly disagree about a game, we say so rather than hiding it. We judge games by what they are today, and we don’t let hype, marketing, or social media trends replace evidence.

8. Lists and rankings

Our lists, such as short games or what to play next, are chosen and ordered by our team using the same criteria as our reviews. Each list explains how games were selected, and the order is never sold. Where a list is sorted by playtime or evenings, the numbers come from the same research process described on our How We Review page.

9. Spoilers

Our articles are spoiler-free by default. We may describe a game’s setting, genre, and early premise, but we don’t reveal major story twists or endings. If an article must discuss spoilers, it will include a clear warning before the spoiler section.

10. Updates and dates

Games change after release, so our articles do too. We revisit articles when a major patch, price change, new edition, or platform release changes our verdict or key facts. Each article shows the date it was last updated.

11. Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix it quickly and openly. Significant corrections are noted in the article. Our full process is explained in our corrections policy.

12. Who is responsible

Articles are published under The Backlog Brief editorial team. Our team of seven, working from our office in Durg, Chhattisgarh, India, is collectively responsible for every article, and The Backlog Brief is published by KCS Groups (KCS Global Group). You can reach the team directly by email at any time.

13. Feedback

We welcome feedback on our coverage. To report an error, email contact@thebacklogbrief.com. For questions about this policy, review copies, or partnerships, email info@thebacklogbrief.com. More options are on our Contact page.