What checking means at Playquire, what the Fact-checked mark on a byline stands for, and what we do when a claim cannot be verified.
Before publication
Every story is checked by its writer against the source, and news and features are read by a second person before they go out. Names, dates, prices, platforms, release dates, quotes and figures are checked against the original: the publisher’s own statement, the storefront listing, the patch notes, the recording of the interview, or the game itself.
The Fact-checked mark
A byline that carries Fact-checked means a second person at Playquire checked each factual claim in the story against its source before publication and recorded what they checked. Stories without the mark were checked by the writer alone; they still follow the sourcing rules in the editorial policy.
Sources we use
We prefer, in this order: what we have played, tested or seen ourselves; primary documents and on-record statements; reporting by outlets we can name, credited and linked. Anonymous sources are used only where the editor knows who they are and why they cannot be named. Social media posts, forum threads and datamined material are treated as claims to check, not as facts.
When a claim cannot be verified
We say so in the story, or we leave it out. A claim we could not verify is never presented as fact, and a denial or a non-answer from the company involved is reported alongside it.
After publication
Anyone can challenge a fact through the contact form. The corrections policy says how we respond and how a fix is shown.