CONDUCT:
We don't accept travel or accommodations (including rental cars, flights or hotel rooms) from companies we cover. If we review a game at a publisher-sponsored event, we'll disclose it in the review.
Our writers will not accept gifts (including food and drinks) in excess of $50 in value.
REVIEW SCORES:
We don't discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published.
Polygon will regularly adjust its assessment of games and hardware over the life of those products. These changes will always be explained and transparent. This is done completely at the discretion of Polygon writers and editors.
CONFLICT:
Unless specifically on a writer's profile page, Polygon staffers do not cover companies (1) in which they have a financial investment, (2) that have employed them previously or (3) employ the writer's spouse, partner or someone else with whom the writer has a close relationship. When a Polygon contributor has affiliations of prior employment experience that would represent a material conflict of interest with their reporting, that information will be disclosed in context or footnotes of that piece.
SOURCES:
It is our policy not to pay sources. On rare occasions, we may contract with a source as a co-creator of content. Anonymous sources must prove their identity to Polygon to be cited in a story. We protect the identity of our sources.
CORRECTIONS:
Polygon makes every effort for stories to be completely accurate upon publication. Inaccurate stories will be corrected but not removed.
ADVERTISING:
We have advertisements on our site, and they are our main source of revenue. Our company has its own advertising team responsible for selling ad space on our site. We do not accept money or other consideration from companies as a condition or incentive to write a review or story, whether favorable or unfavorable, on Polygon. All reviews and other editorial material on the Polygon site are based on our editorial discretion, and not based on the desire of any company, advertiser or PR firm. Advertisers don't ask us to cover their products, and we don't comment about their ads. Our policies do not permit placements of advertorial on Polygon. We will endeavor to clearly mark any advertisement or "infomercial" (videos, Flash animations, etc.) shown on Polygon as an advertisement.
GIVEAWAYS:
From time to time, Polygon will conduct contests and giveaways for readers on the site. We will post rules for each contest, which will be binding on contestants who decide to participate. Giveaways of products are not, and should never be considered, endorsements of the companies involved or their products.
PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCES:
Our editors and news writers are often asked to appear in a professional capacity as experts on various television, news, radio, or other media. These appearances do not constitute endorsement of any products, companies, or services discussed; it is possible that we may accept reimbursement for our travel expenses associated with one of these professional appearances (as long as the media outlet is not affiliated with any game company or other company we cover).
PRODUCT SAMPLES FOR REVIEWS:
Companies may send games or other products or samples to our editors in order for our staff to review such samples and determine whether we will provide a review of the product on Polygon. We do not accept any samples on any preconditions, such as, that we will agree to provide a review simply because the company sent us a sample. Please note that companies may provide these samples before the product is commercially available, in which case, we may agree to an embargo with the company or its PR firm. This means we agree not to publish the review or associated news until a given time.
Occasionally, we decide to review something which has not been provided to us by a company. In this case, an editor will either purchase the product for themselves (we buy a lot of games), or Vox Media will purchase the product for the team.
