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Sponsored Game Review Disclosure: How to Label a Paid Game Review

A paid game review must clearly disclose the sponsorship near the review. Here is how FTC guidance applies to game reviews, with wording, placement, and limits.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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A paid game review must tell readers that the game’s marketer paid for it, in plain words, placed where readers will see it with the review. The FTC’s own example for this situation is a disclosure such as “Sponsored by [name of the video game].”

This article does not review a specific game called “Amazing Gear.” No developer, publisher, platform, or release for a game under that name could be confirmed, so no gameplay, features, or ratings are described here. The guidance below applies to any paid or sponsored game review, and you should name the actual game or company that provided the relationship.

What makes a game review “sponsored”

Under Federal Trade Commission guidance, a review is sponsored when there is a “material connection” between the reviewer and the advertiser. The FTC’s 2017 staff guidance describes that connection as one that might affect the weight or credibility readers give the endorsement. Payment and free products are both listed as examples. In practice, a game review should be treated as sponsored when any of the following applies:

  • The reviewer or outlet was paid by a publisher, developer, or marketing agency for the review or related coverage.
  • The reviewer received a free copy, a game key, or an early-access build from the marketer.
  • The reviewer received any other incentive tied to positive coverage. The FTC’s 2023 updated Endorsement Guides address incentives directly.

The FTC’s 2017 wording is that a material connection “should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless it is already clear from the context of the communication.” Context rarely makes a paid relationship obvious to a reader, so treat the disclosure as required unless the connection is genuinely evident from the page itself.

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Write a label readers understand

The FTC’s FAQ on endorsement guides includes a videogame example that addresses this exact situation. It warns that “many consumers could think XYZ is a neutral third party and won’t realize from your disclosures that the review was really sponsored (and paid for) by the videogame marketer, which has a strong interest in positive reviews.” It then states: “If the disclosure said, ‘Sponsored by [name of the video game],’ that would be good enough.”

Use the table below to compare common labels against the FTC’s stated positions.

Label used FTC position in the supplied guidance
“Sponsored by [name of the video game]” Given as sufficient in the FTC FAQ’s videogame example
“#sp” FTC staff cautioned that this may not clearly communicate sponsorship (2017)
“Thanks [Brand]” FTC staff cautioned that this may not clearly communicate sponsorship (2017)
“#partner” FTC staff cautioned that this may not clearly communicate sponsorship (2017)

Adapt the wording to the party that actually paid or supplied the game. The FTC’s example names the video game, which is the natural choice when the game’s marketer funded the review. If an agency or another company arranged the payment, name that company instead, using the same plain “Sponsored by” construction.

Place the disclosure where readers will see it

The FTC’s FAQ says the disclosure should be easy to notice and near the review or recommendation it relates to. Practical placement follows from that:

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  • Put the disclosure within the review text, not only in a site-wide footer, an “About” page, or a separate disclosure policy.
  • Keep it close to the score, the recommendation, and any buy or download link. The FTC notes that when a disclosure and an associated link are separated, readers may not connect them.
  • Do not bury it in small or low-contrast type, or behind a “read more” control.
  • For video and social posts, use a visible on-screen or in-caption statement. The FTC’s 2017 plain-language guidance on social media disclosures makes the same point about visibility.

Platform labels are not a complete substitute

Many publishing platforms offer a built-in sponsorship or paid-partnership label. Use it if it is available, but do not treat it as the whole disclosure. The FTC’s 2023 announcement of the updated Endorsement Guides says platform disclosure tools may not be adequate by themselves. Keep a plain-language statement in the review itself so the relationship is clear even if a platform label is missing, hidden, or displayed differently on a mobile device.

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Keep the review itself accurate

A disclosure does not make an inaccurate review acceptable. The FTC says paid endorsements must remain truthful and not misleading. Reviewers should not describe experiences they have not had, and should not make claims that would require proof they do not have, such as performance figures they did not measure.

Separate two kinds of statements. Verifiable game information, such as platform, release date, or price, should be checked against the publisher’s or platform’s own listing. Subjective evaluation, such as whether the controls feel responsive, is an opinion and should be labelled as the reviewer’s view from their own play time.

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Scope and limits

The FTC guidance described here is United States guidance. It is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legal analysis, and other countries may have their own rules for sponsored content. The FTC describes the Endorsement Guides as guidance on truth-in-advertising practices, and the agency may investigate potentially unfair or deceptive practices under the FTC Act. The guidance is also updated over time, so check the agency’s current pages before relying on any specific wording:

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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