Advertising Disclosure
Last updated: October 28, 2025
Vector Core is committed to transparency about our advertising relationships and how we generate revenue. This disclosure explains how advertising and affiliate partnerships work on our website, ensuring you understand when content is influenced by financial relationships.
We believe in honest communication with our audience. When we recommend products or services, you deserve to know whether we have a financial interest in those recommendations. This policy details all advertising and partnership arrangements that might influence the content you see.
Purpose of This Disclosure
This advertising disclosure serves several important purposes. First, it helps you understand our business model and how we generate revenue to maintain our services. Second, it allows you to make informed decisions about the recommendations and information we provide. Third, it ensures we comply with advertising regulations and maintain ethical standards in our business practices.
We want you to trust the information on our website. Transparency about financial relationships helps you evaluate our content with full knowledge of any potential conflicts of interest. We take this responsibility seriously and aim to balance revenue generation with providing genuine value to our audience.
Affiliate Relationships and Partnerships
How Affiliate Programs Work
From time to time, we may participate in affiliate programs with companies that provide tools, software, or services relevant to arcade game development. When you click on certain links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
These affiliate relationships help support our website and allow us to continue providing free information and resources to our community. The commissions we earn don't influence the price you pay, but they do provide us with compensation for referring customers to these companies.
Identification of Affiliate Links
We strive to clearly identify affiliate relationships when they exist. Links that may generate commissions are typically disclosed near the link itself or in the surrounding content. If you see phrases like "affiliate link," "we may earn a commission," or similar language, this indicates an affiliate relationship.
Not all external links are affiliate links. Many links we include are provided purely for informational purposes without any financial compensation. Our goal is to provide valuable resources regardless of whether they generate revenue.
Our Recommendation Policy
We only recommend products, services, or companies that we believe offer genuine value to our audience. The existence of an affiliate relationship doesn't determine whether we recommend something. We base recommendations on quality, relevance, and potential benefit to arcade game developers.
If we have personal experience with a product or service, we'll mention that in our content. When we haven't personally used something but believe it may be valuable based on research or industry reputation, we'll make that distinction clear as well.
Financial Relationship Transparency
We believe you have the right to know when financial considerations might influence content. Whether through direct payments, commission structures, or other compensation arrangements, we disclose material relationships that could affect how you perceive our recommendations or information.
Sponsored Content and Paid Promotions
Identification of Sponsored Content
Occasionally, we may publish sponsored content or paid promotions on our website. Any content that has been paid for by an advertiser or sponsor will be clearly labeled as such. You'll see designations like "Sponsored," "Paid Partnership," "Advertisement," or similar labels at the beginning of such content.
Sponsored content represents promotional material created either by us on behalf of a sponsor or provided directly by the sponsor. Even when content is sponsored, we maintain editorial control and ensure it aligns with our quality standards and audience interests.
Editorial Independence
While we accept sponsored content, we maintain separation between editorial content and advertising. Sponsors don't control our editorial decisions, and we don't allow sponsors to dictate the content of non-sponsored articles or recommendations.
We reserve the right to decline sponsorships that don't align with our values or serve our audience's interests. Financial compensation doesn't guarantee content placement or favorable coverage.
Brand Partnerships
From time to time, we may enter into longer-term partnerships with brands in the arcade game development industry. These partnerships might involve multiple pieces of content, ongoing collaborations, or exclusive access to products or services. Material brand partnerships are disclosed prominently on our website.
Third-Party Advertising Networks
Display Advertising
We may use third-party advertising networks to display advertisements on our website. These networks use cookies and similar technologies to show you ads based on your browsing history and interests. The ads you see are selected by these networks based on their algorithms and targeting criteria.
We don't control which specific ads appear through these networks, though we set general parameters about acceptable content. If you see an ad on our site, it doesn't necessarily mean we endorse that particular product or service.
Behavioral Targeting
Advertising networks may use information about your visits to our website and other websites to provide targeted advertising. This practice, known as behavioral targeting or interest-based advertising, helps show you ads more relevant to your interests.
You can learn more about how these networks use your data in our Cookie Policy. You also have options to control personalized advertising through your browser settings or industry opt-out tools.
Advertising Standards
We maintain standards for advertising displayed on our site. We don't knowingly allow advertisements for illegal products or services, malicious software, or content that violates our values. However, if you encounter problematic advertising, please let us know so we can address it with our advertising partners.
Content Authenticity and Integrity
Regardless of any financial relationships, we're committed to providing accurate, helpful, and honest content. Our core principles include:
Honest Opinions
Our opinions and assessments reflect genuine evaluation, not payment. We provide balanced perspectives that include both strengths and limitations of products or services we discuss.
Fact-Based Information
We verify information and strive for accuracy in all content. When we discuss technical aspects or industry practices, we base our content on research, experience, and reliable sources.
Audience-First Approach
Our primary goal is serving our audience's needs and interests. We prioritize providing value over generating revenue, and we won't compromise content quality for financial gain.
Clear Boundaries
We maintain clear boundaries between editorial content and advertising. Sponsored content is labeled, and we don't allow advertisers to dictate editorial direction.
Your Rights and Advertising Controls
Managing Ad Preferences
You have control over how advertising affects your experience on our website. You can manage cookie preferences through our Cookie Policy page, where you can opt out of non-essential cookies including those used for advertising purposes.
Many advertising networks also provide their own opt-out mechanisms. You can visit industry opt-out pages to control personalized advertising across multiple websites and networks.
Browser Settings
Your browser provides options to block or limit cookies, including advertising cookies. Adjusting these settings may reduce targeted advertising, though it might also affect your overall browsing experience.
Most browsers offer private or incognito modes that limit tracking. While browsing in these modes, advertising networks have less information about your browsing history for targeting purposes.
Data Rights
Under various privacy regulations, you may have rights regarding data collected for advertising purposes. This can include rights to access, correct, or delete data. Contact us if you'd like to exercise these rights regarding data we control.
Regulatory Compliance
We comply with applicable advertising regulations and guidelines, including those set forth by regulatory bodies governing advertising practices. This includes proper disclosure of material connections between our business and any products, services, or companies we discuss.
When regulations require specific disclosure language or formatting, we implement those requirements. Our goal is to meet both the letter and spirit of advertising regulations by being genuinely transparent about financial relationships.
If you believe any content on our website doesn't adequately disclose a financial relationship, please contact us so we can address the concern. We take compliance seriously and will correct any disclosure oversights promptly.
Questions or Concerns
If you have questions about our advertising practices, sponsorships, or any financial relationships that influence our content, we're here to provide clarification. We welcome feedback about our disclosure practices and will address any concerns about transparency.
Transparency is an ongoing commitment. If you notice content that should include advertising disclosure but doesn't, please let us know. We'll review the content and make necessary corrections.
Updates to This Disclosure
As our business evolves and we enter into new partnerships or advertising relationships, we may update this advertising disclosure. When we make significant changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this disclosure periodically to stay informed about our advertising practices and financial relationships. Your continued use of our website after changes indicates your acceptance of the updated disclosure.
If we make material changes to how we handle advertising or sponsorships, we may provide additional notice through our website or email communications to regular users.
Our Commitment to You
We're committed to maintaining trust with our audience through transparent practices. While advertising and partnerships help sustain our business, they don't dictate our editorial direction or compromise our commitment to providing genuine value.
You can count on us to clearly disclose financial relationships, maintain editorial independence, and prioritize your interests when creating content. This balance between business sustainability and audience service guides all our decisions about advertising and partnerships.