1. Website verification
We confirm that the company runs an active domain it owns. We check WHOIS visibility, that the site loads over HTTPS, that the corporate identity matches across the home page, about page, and contact page, and that the domain has been continuously online long enough to match the stated founding year. Studios with placeholder sites, abandoned domains, or generic landing pages do not pass this step.
2. Office location check
Every listed company has a traceable office or registered address. We cross-check the address shown on the website against public business registries, LinkedIn company headquarters, Google Maps presence, and case study filings where available. If the address is a virtual office or coworking mail drop and that is the only location given, we mark the listing as remote-first rather than claiming a physical headquarters.
3. Founder or team visibility
We require at least one named, publicly verifiable team member, usually the founder, CEO, or studio head. Their LinkedIn or company profile must match the role claimed on the company website. Studios that hide all leadership behind anonymous brand pages are not listed.
4. Public portfolio check
The studio must show real delivered work. Acceptable evidence includes shipped titles on Steam, App Store, Google Play, console store pages, client case studies on the studio website, public GitHub or itch.io output, or production credits on third-party game databases such as MobyGames or IGDB. A portfolio that is only screenshots with no platform links does not pass.
5. Review profile check
Each company must hold a verifiable review presence on at least one independent platform. We accept Clutch, GoodFirms, G2, Sortlist, Google Business reviews, and verified Trustpilot. We do not accept reviews hosted only on the company's own website. We do not copy review text onto our pages; we only confirm that the profile exists and is active.
6. Case study check
At least one published case study, project page, or production credit must describe a real client engagement: the problem, the scope, and the result. Stock placeholder case studies, demo reels with no client attribution, and AI-generated project summaries do not count.
7. Pricing and service clarity
The company must publicly communicate, somewhere on its site or on a verified profile platform, what it actually does and roughly what it costs. This can be a stated minimum project budget, an hourly rate range, a pricing tier page, or a Clutch or GoodFirms pricing band. Studios with no pricing signal anywhere are flagged.
8. Red flag review
Before listing, we look for disqualifying signs: legal disputes that suggest non-delivery, repeated public complaints about IP ownership disputes, mismatched company names across platforms, dormant social presence with sudden activity bursts, fake employee photo libraries on the team page, or fabricated client logos. Any single major red flag blocks the listing.
9. Update frequency
Every category page is reviewed at minimum once per quarter. Listings that no longer meet the criteria above, such as a studio that has shut down or that has lost its review profile, are removed at the next review cycle. The Last Verified date on each category page reflects the most recent full audit.
10. Why paid placement does not affect ranking
Companies cannot pay to be added, ranked higher, or featured on this directory. We do not run sponsored slots. We do not accept gifts, commissions, or affiliate payments tied to placement order. Ranking is decided by the verification scorecard described below. This is the single most important promise on this site, and the entire trust premise depends on it.
Verification scorecard
Every company is scored on a one hundred point scale across nine factors. The score is shown in each company profile and explains where a listing earned or lost points.
| Factor | Points |
|---|---|
| Official website verified | 10 |
| Office location visible | 10 |
| Team or leadership visible | 10 |
| Public portfolio | 15 |
| Independent review profiles | 20 |
| Published case studies | 15 |
| Years in business | 10 |
| Pricing clarity | 5 |
| Category fit | 5 |
What we do not do
We do not copy review text or paraphrase client quotes. We do not invent statistics. We do not accept payment to move a company up the list or to suppress legitimate criticism. We do not write hit pieces. If a company is not on a category page, the most likely reason is that one of the ten checks above did not pass, not that we received instructions to exclude it.
Requesting a correction
If your company is listed and a field is wrong, or if your company belongs on a list and is missing, see the Submit a Company page. Corrections from companies and from third parties are treated identically. Submission does not change ranking.