LaunchBox Games Database Update - July 16, 2025

[faeran]

Hey all,

Just wanted to fill you guys in on some of the changes that have been made to the LaunchBox Games Database behind the scenes.

Game Deletion Workflow Overhaul

We’ve completely revamped how games are deleted to prevent long term issues with user's LaunchBox libraries and future GamesDB Integrations:

• Users can now submit one of 3 reason types when requesting a game deletion.

• If marking a game as a duplicate, a link to the duplicate is now required.

• All deletion requests will go through both our standard moderation and a new Tier 2 moderation process, which has the final say.

• If a duplicate is approved for deletion, a new system will now link the deleted game to its replacement, so metadata and media can still be accessed by users who had it in their libraries.

This change is especially important as we begin to integrate services more deeply with the Games Database. We want to avoid situations where deleted entries break integrations or game links for users.

Bug Fixes

Some sneaky little bugs have been squashed:

• Fixed an issue where ESRB ratings, Wikipedia links, and Video links weren’t sticking after moderation approval. These should now save reliably.

• Resolved a problem where some users saw part of their Changes Status pages mysteriously vanish. They’re back where they belong and you can now rejoice!

• Search results got a tune-up:

  • Multi-page results are now back.

  • Relevance has been improved across both the main search bar and the mini search on game pages.

• For users running into API limit issues (you legends), we’ve put in place a few improvements to help reduce those headaches. Most folks wouldn't have hit this limitation, but hopefully with the changes we made it should happen much less often, if not at all.

Image Upload Restrictions Refreshed

Some upload restrictions have returned from the dead to ensure media quality stays top-notch. Here’s a quick refresher:

• PNG with transparency required for:

  • Clear Logo, Box - 3D, Cart - Front, Cart - Back, Cart - 3D, and Disc

• Icon images: must be no larger than 256x256

• Square images: must be a 1:1 ratio

• Poster images: must be 2:3 ratio, with a minimum width of 600px

• All other media types can be JPG or PNG

[launchretrogirl2562]

These changes behind the screens, could that be in relation with an issue I have about moderating?

 

[faeran]

18 hours ago, launchretrogirl2562 said:

These changes behind the screens, could that be in relation with an issue I have about moderating?

 

We ran some tests on the mod approval system and it does seem to be working just fine. We also checked your account and it does look like your account is a moderator. It's possible you are running into some browser caching issue. Are you able to try signing in in private mode, or try to log in using a different browser and see if that helps your situation out.

[launchretrogirl2562]

2 minutes ago, faeran said:

We ran some tests on the mod approval system and it does seem to be working just fine. We also checked your account and it does look like your account is a moderator. It's possible you are running into some browser caching issue. Are you able to try signing in in private mode, or try to log in using a different browser and see if that helps your situation out.

That did the trick! I tried it in a new browser and it immediately showed me the moderation option.
I will clean my cache and such on my regular browser.

Thanks Faeran.