Frequently asked
The questions that come up most.
Below are the questions we get from prospective players, league commissioners, and press. If yours isn't here, write to [email protected].
Is Hashmark affiliated with EA or the NFL?
No. Hashmark is an independent companion built by VaultSpark Studios LLC. We do not modify Madden, we do not touch save files, and we do not ship real NFL data outside what your own franchise export contains. Madden NFL is a trademark of Electronic Arts. NFL marks are trademarks of the National Football League.
How does Hashmark get my franchise data?
You direct an available franchise export to a private Hashmark ingest URL. Madden NFL 26 is the established contract. Madden NFL 27 remains in field verification, and Hashmark will not claim compatibility until edition-bound receipts pass the published route matrix.
Why do you say the game throws away postseason data?
In the Madden NFL 26 export contract Hashmark has observed, a player’s current-season postseason line is overwritten at season rollover and career surfaces omit that production. Hashmark preserves accepted postseason exports in an append-only Playoff Vault. Madden NFL 27 behavior will be described only after live verification.
What’s HashmarkIQ?
A single proprietary player rating, on a 0–100 scale, position-normalized, derived from the full longitudinal record Hashmark holds — regular and postseason production, draft context, age curve, scouting trajectory, and breakout history. The methodology is public. The components are visible in the product when you hover the rating.
Do I have to play online to use Hashmark?
No. A solo franchise on a console or PC works fine. You upload the Companion export when you want a recap or a refresh. Multi-user leagues add Discord integration and commissioner tools but are not required.
Will Hashmark support Madden 25 or older versions?
Madden NFL 26 is the established contract. Madden NFL 27 is the current field-test target, with live compatibility still pending. Older editions are not promised; we will commit only after an edition passes the same receipt-backed canary matrix.
Will there be an iOS or Android app?
Hashmark is web-first and supports installation as a Progressive Web App. A first-party native iOS or Android application is not currently promised.
Will there be a PC companion?
A Windows export helper remains a planned direction, not a dated launch commitment. The current launch gate is a verified, user-directed export path.
How are the editorial recaps written?
Generated by Anthropic Claude (Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.6, and Opus 4.7 depending on the surface), against prompt templates we own and version. Every generated recap is reviewed against our soul checklist by an automated pass before it surfaces in the product.
Is generated content always labeled?
Yes. Editorial recaps and synthesized college careers are flagged as generated in the product. Hover any synthesized stat and the tooltip discloses the inputs and the model version. We do not break the fourth wall in the prose itself — the disclosure is in the chrome.
Where is my data stored?
Self-hosted Postgres 16 on a Hetzner server in the United States. Daily backups to encrypted off-host object storage. No third-party data warehouse. Full architecture is described on the Security page.
Can I export my data?
At any time, in full, in JSON, from your account page. If Hashmark ever shuts down, you take your archive with you in a documented format.
Why no emoji in the product?
Hashmark is built in the register of The Athletic and NFL Films — restrained, specific, patient. Emoji and exclamation marks pull the voice toward broadcast hype, which is the register we explicitly refuse. The full position is in the manifesto.
How do I report a bug or security issue?
Bugs: file at [email protected] or in the Discord. Security: [email protected], with a 48-hour acknowledgment SLA and responsible disclosure expected.