Editorial Standards

Editorial standards and guidelines determine how we write information, guides, reviews, news, and other articles on HermitGamer.

Our writers and editors follow these guidelines to ensure that everything we write about is useful and can fulfill your request or solve a problem. 

Any content on HermitGamer is created based on users' feedback, market analysis, and statistics. Our editorial process has no commercial influence, and our editorial position will always remain independent of the company's commercial objectives.

This page was last updated on Sep 15, 2024.

Statement of Autonomy

Our team of HermitGamer authors and editors includes talented researchers and knowledgeable people in their disciplines.

The HermitGamer editorial team retains complete independence in the choice of topics. The editor-in-chief decides which game will be reviewed and which article will be written. However, any journalist can suggest topics and stories.

All opinions and information written on HermitGamer are those of our journalists and are not subject to outside influence.

We do not accept payment from companies whose games or products we cover. If we do, we will disclose the details in the published material.

Review Standards

The HermitGamer editorial staff purchases games themselves for further familiarization, review, and evaluation of the game (on the company's funds).

The choice of which games our authors want to review is mostly left entirely up to them. The Editor-in-Chief may request a review of a particular game, but authors may decline.

At HermitGamer we do not create reviews on demand (for payment). Each review is individual and receives an independent final evaluation. We also do not discuss review scores or opinions with publishers or developers before publication. 

NDA and Embargo

HermitGamer's primary goal is to provide you with relevant, complete and reliable content. In cases where we review a game prior to release, we contact the publisher and sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and agree to embargo terms. This is a common practice to protect the publisher's interests and allows us to publish a review of a product prior to release.

However, HermitGamer only accepts publisher NDAs and embargoes if they do not affect the interests of our editors and readers. NDAs cannot influence our opinions and ratings of a game.

Our editors may also accept invitations to travel to preview games, but this will not affect the final game rating in any way.

Conflicts of Interest

HermitGamer employees are allowed to contribute to the video game industry and pursue their own projects, but they must disclose details on their profile page.

Members of the editorial team or HermitGamer contributors do not cover products or games from companies they have previously worked for, have close ties to, or have financial investments in. 

If a HermitGamer contributor has connections that may present a conflict of interest with their material, we will reconsider the author's selection.

Game Ratings

At HermitGamer, we only work with experienced and trusted authors. The final rating of a product may be discussed among colleagues, but the determination of the rating given in the review remains at the discretion of the author. 

The editorial staff does not interfere with the scoring process. The exception to this is a score of 5 and 1. We assume that both of these scores are special, and want to be sure that the game really deserves such a high or low score before publication.

In order for a game to receive one of the above grades, it must be agreed upon by several editors who have reviewed the product beforehand.

Advertising and Sponsored Content

HermitGamer does not publish sponsored articles. All content that appears on the site is personally written by our authors and is checked by the editorial staff. We also do not provide backlinking services for money.

Our robotics and opinions are completely autonomous. We have Google ads on our site and they are our main source of revenue. 

We may review and rate a product or game at the request of the developer, but such content will be written solely by us, will carry truthful information about the product (with all positive and negative aspects), and should be useful to our readers. 

In case of news containing links to stores or third-party partners, we will add a note that will inform you about the commissions we have received. Otherwise, these links are inserted for the convenience of users and we do not receive any commission from clicking on them.

Appearances in Media

Our editors and authors have complete freedom to appear as professionals or experts on various shows, conferences, news programs, or other websites. However, such appearances must not contradict or conflict with the material covered in HermitGamer.

Our editors and authors are also free to work on their own projects, products, or other things, as long as it does not conflict with HermitGamer policy.

Product Samples for Reviews

In most cases, the HermitGamer editorial team purchases games or products for review at the expense of the project.

Developers or publishers may send our staff products, game keys, event invitations, or other samples for evaluation. However, this will not affect the content of the review or the final rating of the game.

We do not accept such products with prerequisites.