Advertising Disclosure
Last Updated: December 17, 2025
Our Commitment to Transparency
At Northstar, we believe in complete transparency regarding our advertising practices and business relationships. This Advertising Disclosure explains how we may earn compensation through various partnerships while maintaining our commitment to providing honest, valuable information to our visitors and clients.
We are committed to full disclosure of all advertising relationships, affiliate partnerships, and sponsored content in accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and applicable European consumer protection laws. Our goal is to ensure you can make informed decisions about our services and any recommendations we provide.
Affiliate Relationships and Partnerships
Northstar may participate in affiliate marketing programs and maintain business partnerships that involve financial compensation for referrals or recommendations.
What Are Affiliate Programs?
Affiliate programs allow us to earn commissions by referring visitors to products, services, or tools that we genuinely believe may benefit arcade game developers. When you click on certain links on our website and make a purchase or sign up for a service, we may receive a commission from the company providing that product or service.
Important: These affiliate relationships do not influence the price you pay. You will never pay more because we included an affiliate link. The commission comes from the vendor's marketing budget, not from additional charges to you.
Types of Affiliate Relationships
We may maintain affiliate relationships with providers of:
- Development tools and software for arcade game creation
- Hardware suppliers and arcade cabinet manufacturers
- Translation and localization service providers
- Educational resources and industry training programs
- Business services relevant to arcade game development
Our Recommendation Policy
We maintain strict standards for any products or services we recommend:
- • We only recommend products and services we have personally evaluated or believe will genuinely benefit our audience
- • Affiliate commissions do not influence our honest assessment of quality or suitability
- • We clearly disclose when links are affiliate links or when we have a financial relationship
- • We prioritize your interests over potential commission earnings
- • We do not recommend products solely because they offer higher commissions
Sponsored Content and Paid Promotions
From time to time, we may publish sponsored content or paid promotions on our website or through our communications channels.
Sponsored Content Identification
Any sponsored content or paid promotions will be clearly labeled with one or more of the following disclosures:
- • "Sponsored Post" or "Sponsored Content"
- • "Paid Partnership with [Brand Name]"
- • "Advertisement" or "Ad"
- • "Promotional Content"
These labels will be prominently displayed at the beginning of the content to ensure transparency.
Editorial Independence
Even in sponsored content, we maintain editorial control and will only promote products or services that align with our values and meet our quality standards. Sponsors do not control the content or messaging beyond basic brand guidelines. We reserve the right to decline sponsorship opportunities that do not meet our standards or serve our audience's interests.
Brand Partnerships
We may enter into long-term partnerships with brands that support the arcade development community. These partnerships may include various forms of collaboration such as joint events, educational content, or co-created resources. All such partnerships will be disclosed appropriately within the relevant content.
Third-Party Advertising Networks
Our website may display advertisements served by third-party advertising networks. Understanding how these networks operate helps you make informed choices about your browsing experience.
Display Advertising
We may use third-party advertising networks to display ads on our website. These networks may collect information about your browsing activities across multiple websites to show you relevant advertisements.
Common Advertising Networks:
- • Google AdSense and Google Ad Manager
- • Other third-party ad networks as disclosed in our Cookie Policy
Behavioral Targeting and Personalization
Third-party advertising networks may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing behavior across different websites. This information helps deliver more relevant advertisements based on your interests.
You can control behavioral advertising through:
- • Your browser's privacy settings and cookie controls
- • Our Cookie Policy preferences management
- • Industry opt-out tools like the Digital Advertising Alliance
- • Google's Ad Settings and personalization controls
Cookie Usage for Advertising
Advertising networks use cookies to:
- • Track ad impressions and click-through rates
- • Limit the frequency of specific ads shown to you
- • Measure ad campaign effectiveness
- • Build interest-based advertising profiles
For detailed information about cookies used for advertising purposes, please review our Cookie Policy.
User Rights and Controls
You have several options for controlling how advertising affects your browsing experience on our website.
Ad Preference Management
You can manage your advertising preferences through:
- Visit our Cookie Policy page to adjust cookie settings
- Use your browser settings to block or limit cookies from advertising networks
- Access Google's Ad Settings to control personalized advertising
- Use industry opt-out tools for interest-based advertising
Opt-Out Procedures
To opt out of targeted advertising:
- Disable advertising cookies through our cookie preference center
- Enable "Do Not Track" in your browser settings
- Use browser extensions that block advertising trackers
- Visit the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page
Data Collection for Advertising
Information collected for advertising purposes may include browsing history, pages viewed, time spent on site, and interaction with ads. This data is typically anonymized and aggregated. For details on how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.
Your Rights Under GDPR
If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights under GDPR including the right to access, rectify, or delete personal data used for advertising purposes. To exercise these rights, please contact us through our contact page.
FTC Compliance and Legal Requirements
We comply with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines regarding endorsements, testimonials, and advertising disclosure, as well as applicable European consumer protection regulations.
Material Connection Disclosure
When we have a material connection with a brand, product, or service (such as receiving compensation, free products, or other benefits), we clearly disclose this relationship. This ensures you understand any potential bias and can make informed decisions.
Material connections may include:
- • Financial compensation for referrals or sales
- • Free products or services provided for review
- • Business partnerships or equity relationships
- • Family or personal relationships with brand representatives
- • Employment or consulting relationships
Updates to This Disclosure
We may update this Advertising Disclosure from time to time to reflect changes in our advertising practices, partnerships, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will 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 relationships and practices.
Questions About Our Advertising Practices
If you have questions about our advertising relationships, sponsorships, or disclosure practices, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Visit our contact page to submit your questions or concerns about our advertising practices. We are committed to maintaining transparency and will respond to your inquiries promptly.
Northstar
Keizersgracht 424
1016 GC Amsterdam
Netherlands