We don't award the Verified badge yet. Each listing shows the checks we have completed so far, with their dates.

How verification works

We check by hand, and show our work

Before we call a listing verified, we check five things. Every listing shows a dated log of each check, and if a check fails or expires, the log says so.

  1. Identity known to GameStart. We know who is behind the project:
    • for a company, from its national business register, with the person applying named there and in control of the company's own website domain;
    • for a solo creator, from an identity check by a platform they already use (such as a Kickstarter verified name) or by our identity verification provider.
    We never publish personal details, and we never keep copies of identity documents.
  2. Accounts controlled. The creator controls the accounts on the listing. They show it by posting a code we give them on each account, or a code in a Steam announcement for a Steam game.
  3. Payment channels controlled. Every payment link on the listing belongs to the creator. They show it with a code on each payment page, and with a message signed from each crypto wallet.
  4. Project exists. We have seen evidence the project is real: a demo available on an official store, a live store or campaign page, or real gameplay footage. We also look for where the project first appeared and check that its art and footage aren't taken from somewhere else. The log says which evidence we saw.
  5. Sanctions screening. The creator's names and every listed wallet are screened against the US Treasury's sanctions list (OFAC SDN).

A listing is verified only when all five have passed and are in date, and at least two of its channels on different platforms are proven, for example a store page and a crowdfunding campaign. The log names them. That way one stolen account can't redirect where support goes.

Studio checks and project checks

Identity and accounts are about who is behind a project, so we check them once for the studio, and they count for every project it lists. Payment channels, project exists and sanctions screening are checked for each project. If a studio check lapses, none of that studio's projects is verified until it is checked again.

How long checks last, and what happens when something changes

  • Every check has an expiry date in the log.
  • Sanctions screening is repeated every three months. The other checks are repeated at least once a year.
  • We look at every listed payment link and wallet once a week for changes.
  • If a payment link or wallet changes, the listing stops being verified until the creator proves the change again. They confirm it through the contact details from their identity check, never through the channel that changed.
  • A newly added payment link appears on the listing only 7 days after it was added and proven.
  • We also check again early when an account is renamed, a store page is removed, a studio changes hands, or someone reports a problem.

Delivery history and the funding answer

  • Delivery history. Each studio's page lists the past projects and campaigns we know of, with how each one turned out: delivered, delivered late, partly delivered, not delivered or cancelled. We show failures as well as successes, and creators can't ask us to leave one out. Delivery history doesn't decide whether a listing is verified; it is there so you can judge for yourself.
  • The funding answer. For each live campaign we ask the creator whether the campaign funds the whole project. We show their answer in their own terms: we don't check it.

The badge

Creators can show a GameStart badge on their own pages. It is served live from GameStart and follows the log:

  • "Verified on GameStart, checked [date]" while the listing is verified, showing the date of its last full verification;
  • "Listed on GameStart" while it isn't verified, including while a change to a payment link is being checked again;
  • "Not listed on GameStart" once a listing is removed.

The date on the badge is when we last did the full set of checks, not a promise that nothing has changed since. Click the badge to see the log.

Each listing's log names the websites where the creator has told us they show the badge. A GameStart badge anywhere else isn't one we know about. If you see one that looks wrong, please tell us.

What verified does not mean

It is not a promise that a game will ship, ship on time or turn out well. It means we checked the things in the log, on the dates shown, and nothing more.

In particular:

  • It is not an endorsement. We don't judge whether a game is good or whether a project will succeed.
  • It is not a promise of delivery. Real studios with real teams sometimes run out of money or stop. Look at the creator's delivery history before you support a project.
  • It is not a malware check. We don't download or test creators' games, demos or builds. Download only from the official store links on a listing, and be careful with files sent to you in messages.
  • Our checks can be fooled, for example by a stolen account or forged records, and things can change after the date in the log. If something looks wrong, tell us and we'll check again.

Who pays for verification

Verification is free. We may later offer optional paid plans with extra page features, but verification is never part of a paid plan. Paying doesn't buy a pass: a listing that fails a check isn't verified, whatever plan it is on. Featured placement, if we offer it, is always labelled and is separate from verification.

The money never passes through GameStart

Supporters pay creators directly, on the creator's own channels and under those channels' terms. GameStart never receives, holds or forwards that money, so we can't refund it. Ask the creator or the platform you paid through.

Report a problem

Every listing has a "Report this listing" link. Use it for anything that looks wrong: a payment link that doesn't belong to the creator, stolen art, a hijacked account, a sanctions concern or a scam. When a report points to fraud, a hijacked payment channel or a sanctions match, we may suspend the listing's payment links while we look into it.

Messages from GameStart

People sometimes pretend to be GameStart to get money, passwords or access from creators and players. Here is what we do and don't do:

  • We only email from addresses ending in @gamestart.com.
  • We never ask for anything in a message on Discord, X, Bluesky or other social apps. If we ever contact you there, it is only to point you to an email from @gamestart.com.
  • We never ask for payment in a message. Any fee is published on our site, and payment links come only from an @gamestart.com address.
  • We never ask for passwords, wallet seed phrases, login codes or remote access.
  • We never ask you to download or install anything.
  • Verification codes are posted publicly on your own pages. You never send them to us privately.
  • We never sell press coverage, reviews or publishing deals.

If someone claiming to be GameStart asks for any of these, it isn't us. Please don't reply or click their links, and tell us at hello@gamestart.com.

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