Editorial Policy

This policy explains how Early Access Watch turns launch-window signals into source-labeled pages. The goal is simple: answer player decisions quickly without turning rumors, single reports, or pre-launch assumptions into facts.

Quick Answer

Confirmed means official store, developer, patch note, launch build, or another primary source supports the statement.
Reported means media coverage, storefront metadata, or repeated community reports suggest a claim, but it still needs confirmation.
Expected means plausible from Early Access framing or a roadmap, not final.
Unknown means the site intentionally refuses to guess.

Source Hierarchy

Source type	How we use it
Steam / store	Use store listings as source of truth for launch date, platform, tags, pricing, and system requirements; convert times into UTC + PT/ET/UK/EU only when a reliable source gives a time.
Official / developer	Use official posts for Early Access scope, roadmap caveats, patch notes, and development status.
Media reports	Use for launch time, roadmap context, co-op details, and preview coverage; verify against live build after release and avoid local-only time phrasing.
Community questions	Use Reddit and Steam Community to discover FAQ wording, not as final factual authority.

Weekly Review Loop

Cadence	Input	Decision	Output
Monday	Future 60-day release plan, Steam upcoming, GSC 7-day pages, and community question repeats.	Choose 1-3 games for the week, with priority to launch-window decisions over generic news.	Update /launch-status/, /steam-early-access-calendar/, and the strongest P0 command centers.
Tuesday-Thursday	Reddit, Steam Community, official posts, GSC queries, Semrush/SpyFu validation, and live store checks.	Update 0-2 existing pages and prepare 1-3 useful community answers. Create no more than one new page, and only with evidence.	Fresh answer cards, Last checked timestamps, source-labeled tables, and community reply drafts.
Friday	GSC query-page-action table, clicked queries, impressions near page one, community replies, and post-launch issue repeats.	Keep, refresh, archive, merge, or split. Prefer one stronger command center over several thin pages.	Weekly recovery notes and the next week's page-action list.
14-day split review	Two weeks of GSC impressions/clicks, repeated community questions, SERP gap checks, and source stability.	Split only when one intent has durable evidence and a complete answer format.	New child page, main-page section expansion, or no action.

14-Day Split Gate

Signal	Threshold	Action	Why
GSC query cluster	Same intent reaches 20+ impressions, earns a click, or ranks near page one for a clearly mismatched page.	Consider a child page only if the first screen can answer the task better than the parent page.	Prevents thin pages while still letting real search demand shape the site.
Community repeat	Reddit / Steam Community repeats the same question or complaint at least 3 times in 24 hours.	Add a table to the main page first; split only if the issue keeps changing or needs its own troubleshooting flow.	Community wording is discovery, not final factual authority.
SERP gap	Top results are mostly forum threads, stale news, or pages that mix confirmed facts with rumors.	Build an answer page with quick answer, status table, source notes, Last checked, FAQ, and update history.	The site wins by being clearer and safer, not by copying the same facts.
Live-build evidence	Public build, official patch note, verified store state, or repeated matching player reports exists.	Only then publish best settings, known issues, workarounds, build advice, or guide content.	Trust is more valuable than being first with unverified launch advice.

Corrections and stale pages

When a fact changes, the page should update the quick answer, status table, source note, and last-checked timestamp before adding new content. Old countdown language should be archived or rewritten after launch.

A page that cannot be kept accurate should be downgraded, merged, or treated as historical context instead of continuing to compete with current launch-window pages.

Content we do not publish early

We do not publish leaked-build instructions, cracked-build claims, final performance settings, tier lists, build guides, map routes, workarounds, or exact regional pricing until public sources or live-build evidence support them.