How We Write Game Content
This page explains how content on Retro Games Online is researched, written, reviewed, and updated. We publish this policy so visitors, rights holders, and search engines can understand our editorial standards and how we keep a large catalog of retro titles accurate and genuinely useful.
Content Sources
Game pages combine information from several sources:
- Public retro gaming catalogs and databases for release years, regions, publishers, developers, and content classifications (official / hack / prototype / homebrew / translation).
- Community-maintained references such as ROM collector databases, preservation groups, and hack documentation by the creator where applicable.
- Original editorial writing for descriptions, gameplay summaries, how-to-play guides, and FAQ blocks.
How We Write and Review Game Pages
Every game page is written to stand on its own: an original summary of the title, a clear explanation of how it plays, a controls reference for the correct platform, and answers to the questions players ask most. We write our own descriptions rather than copying publisher marketing text or reproducing other websites.
Our editorial workflow follows a few firm rules:
- Accuracy over guesswork. When a release date, developer, or gameplay detail cannot be verified against a reliable source, we leave it out rather than publish something uncertain.
- Original, non-duplicated writing. Each title receives its own description and FAQ, so pages read differently from one another and from other sources.
- Platform-correct details. Control references are checked against the real hardware for each system — the NES has two action buttons, the Genesis has three, the PlayStation uses Cross, Square, Triangle, and Circle, and so on.
- Human editorial review. Pages are reviewed by our editorial team, and we update or rewrite them when better information becomes available.
When we find an error, we fix it — see the corrections section below.
Content Classification
Every game page is labeled with a content type so readers know what they are looking at:
- Official Release — the original commercial title as released by its publisher.
- ROM Hack — a fan-modified version of an existing official game.
- Mod — a larger fan modification or conversion.
- Prototype / Beta / Demo — pre-release or promotional builds.
- Homebrew — fan-made original software for retro platforms.
- Fan Game — standalone fan creation inspired by an existing IP.
- Translation — a language localization patch, usually by fan translators.
- Demake / Revision / Compilation / Unlicensed — other less common categories where context is relevant.
For non-official releases we also attribute the creator or team and, when applicable, the base game that the work is derived from.
Attribution of Official Games
Each official release page lists the original publisher (e.g. Nintendo, Konami, Sega, Capcom) and, when known, the development studio (e.g. Rare, HAL Laboratory, Treasure). These fields feed into our Schema.org structured data so that search engines can correctly associate games with their rightful creators.
Corrections and Updates
We welcome corrections. If you see an error — a wrong release year, misattributed developer, inaccurate description, or broken feature — please reach us through the Contact page. Every correction request is reviewed and, when accurate, applied to the affected game pages.
Page timestamps are updated when content is revised or corrected. Each game page exposes a dateModified schema field so search engines see the freshness.
Copyright and Takedowns
If you are a rights holder and believe specific content on this site infringes on your rights, please see our DMCA / Copyright page for the formal notice-and-takedown process. We respond to all valid notices.
Privacy and Transparency
Visitor behavior data is used only to understand which games are played and to improve recommendations. See our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy for specifics about what is collected, how it is stored, and how to opt out.
Editorial Independence
Retro Games Online is an independent site. We are not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Atari, NEC, Capcom, Konami, or any other rights holder mentioned on the site. Our editorial decisions are not influenced by third parties.
Last updated: 2026-06-19. This policy is reviewed periodically; material changes will be dated at the top.