Advertising Disclosure

What Are Affiliate Relationships

Affiliate relationships are business arrangements where we may receive compensation when visitors to our website click on certain links or purchase products or services through those links. This compensation typically comes in the form of commissions, referral fees, or revenue sharing arrangements with the companies whose products or services we recommend.

How We Select Affiliate Partners

We only form affiliate relationships with companies and products that we genuinely believe offer value to game developers. Our selection criteria include:

• Relevance to atmospheric game development and related creative work
• Quality and reliability of products or services
• Alignment with the needs of indie game developers
• Positive reputation within the game development community
• Fair pricing and transparent business practices

Financial Disclosure

When we include affiliate links on our website, we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This commission comes at no additional cost to you—you pay the same price you would pay if you went directly to the vendor. The commission is paid by the vendor as compensation for directing qualified traffic to their website.

Editorial Independence

Our affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial decisions or compromise the objectivity of our recommendations. We recommend products and services that we believe genuinely benefit our audience, regardless of whether an affiliate relationship exists. If we have concerns about a product or service, we will share those concerns honestly, even if it means potentially reducing affiliate revenue.

Identification of Sponsored Material

From time to time, we may publish content that is sponsored by third parties. This includes paid promotions, sponsored articles, featured placements, or other arrangements where we receive compensation for creating or displaying specific content. All sponsored content is clearly identified with labels such as "Sponsored," "Paid Promotion," or similar disclosure language.

Sponsored Content Standards

Even when content is sponsored, we maintain strict standards to ensure it provides genuine value to our audience:

• Sponsored content must be relevant to atmospheric game development
• We only accept sponsorships from companies we trust and respect
• Content must meet our quality standards and provide useful information
• We retain editorial control over how sponsored content is presented
• Factual accuracy is verified regardless of sponsorship status

Brand Partnerships

We may form ongoing partnerships with brands that align with our mission to support atmospheric game development. These partnerships may involve creating content series, participating in joint marketing initiatives, or collaborating on educational resources. All such partnerships are disclosed clearly, and we maintain our commitment to providing honest, valuable information to our audience.

Content Authenticity

We never allow sponsors to dictate our opinions or require us to make claims we don't believe in. While sponsors may request coverage of specific topics or products, our assessments and recommendations remain our own. We reserve the right to decline sponsorships that don't align with our values or would require us to compromise our editorial integrity.

Display Advertising Networks

We may use third-party advertising networks to display advertisements on our website. These networks serve ads based on your browsing behavior across multiple websites. The ads you see may be influenced by your interests, demographics, and previous online activity, as determined by the advertising network.

Behavioral Targeting

Third-party advertisers may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activities for the purpose of delivering targeted advertisements. This practice, known as behavioral targeting or interest-based advertising, allows advertisers to show you ads that may be more relevant to your interests. You can learn more about how to manage these cookies in our Cookie Policy.

Cookie Usage for Advertising

Advertising partners may place cookies on your device to track your interactions with ads, measure campaign effectiveness, and deliver personalized advertising. These cookies are subject to the privacy policies of the respective advertising networks. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of our advertising partners to understand their data practices.

Ad Personalization Practices

We work with advertising partners who use various signals to personalize the ads you see, including your device type, geographic location, and browsing behavior. While personalized ads can be more relevant and less intrusive than generic ads, we respect your right to opt out of personalized advertising. You can manage your advertising preferences through our Cookie Policy page or your device settings.

Ad Preference Management

You have control over the types of advertisements you see. You can manage your advertising preferences through several methods, including adjusting settings on our Cookie Policy page, using your browser's privacy settings, or opting out through industry opt-out tools provided by advertising self-regulatory organizations.

Opt-Out Procedures

To limit personalized advertising, you can:

• Adjust cookie preferences through our Cookie Policy page
• Enable "Do Not Track" settings in your web browser
• Use browser extensions that block advertising trackers
• Opt out through industry initiatives like the Network Advertising Initiative or Digital Advertising Alliance
• Clear your browser cookies regularly to reset advertising preferences

Please note that opting out of personalized advertising does not mean you will stop seeing ads entirely. You will still see advertisements, but they may be less relevant to your interests.

Data Collection for Advertising

When you interact with advertisements on our website, certain information may be collected by our advertising partners, including your IP address, device identifiers, browser type, pages visited, and interaction with ads. This data is used to measure ad effectiveness, detect fraud, and deliver targeted advertising. Our advertising partners are required to handle this data in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Rights Under Privacy Regulations

Depending on your location, you may have specific rights regarding advertising data under regulations such as GDPR or CCPA. These rights may include access to your data, deletion requests, and the right to opt out of data sales. You can exercise these rights by contacting us or using the privacy controls provided by our advertising partners.