Game Smithing Privacy Policy

We strongly support your right to privacy when using our products. To the extent that our products and websites can provide their functionality without doing so, we prefer to avoid collecting data from you. We use modern security measures to protect collected data, and limit access to only those employees who require access to perform their jobs. We may be legally required to disclose collected data to law enforcement or government agencies in some situations.

This privacy policy explains how our organization uses the personal data we collect when you use our website, video games, forums, blogs, social media, newsletter, or otherwise interact with us.

Legally, we cannot and will not knowingly collect personal data about children below 13.

What data do we collect?

Technical details

When you use, play or access Game Smithing services we or third parties on our behalf may collect technical details about the device you are using, including:

• internet and/or network connection (including IP address); MAC address;
• any console device identifier;
• your operating system;
• browser type or other software;
• your hardware or other technical details.

If you sign up to a newsletter, we may collect information such as email address, country of residence and IP address.

Your activities

When you use, play or access Game Smithing services we or third parties on our behalf may collect details of how you use our services, including:

• metrics information about when and how you use the services;
• traffic data;
• language preferences;
• achievements;
• gameplay statistics;
• time spent playing;
• choices you make about characters and game progress;
• your geographical location data;
• a unique player reference ID, separate from your console or platform ID.

Your communications

If you contact us or post in chat sessions, forums or other areas of the Game Smithing services, we may collect and maintain a record of your contact details and the content of your communications. We will not ask you to provide us with sensitive personal data. Any such personal data we receive will be data you or someone else has provided to us.

User accounts

To access certain Game Smithing services you may need to create a user account. When you log in to play our games we collect basic login information such as your account username and, where relevant, your username for accounts with the consoles or platforms on which you play our games. If you make purchases, we might receive payment confirmation information from payment service providers, but we will not receive payment details.

Advertising

We may receive personal data about you as part of our marketing and advertising efforts.

How do we collect your data?

You directly provide Game Smithing with most of the data we collect. We may collect and process data when you:

• play any of our games;
• sign up for our newsletter;
• send us direct communication;
• post in chat sessions, forums or other areas of the Game Smithing services.

How do we store your data?

Your privacy is important to us and we take technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access, unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction and damage. However, no method of transmission over the internet or means of storage is absolutely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of personal information transmitted to, through, or on our products, and any such transmission is at your own risk.

How long do we store your data?

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collect it, including contractual, legal, accounting or reporting requirements. You may have legal rights to object to our collection and use of your data, but this may mean some or all Game Smithing services become unavailable to you. We reserve the right to retain information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, maintain business records and enforce agreements.

If you join one of our email lists, we retain your email address until you ask to be removed. Unsubscribe instructions are contained in all messages sent to the list. To ask us to completely delete your email from our databases, contact support@gamesmithing.com.

How do we share your data?

We do not sell or otherwise disclose any portion of our email list to third parties, except the vendor providing our mailing-list services as needed to distribute emails. We will never share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes without first obtaining your consent.

We may share personal data with:

• service providers helping us operate the Game Smithing services and our business, such as data storage, server hosting, support, analytics and advertising providers;
• marketing campaign, advertising and measurement providers;
• platforms or consoles on which you play our games, such as Steam, Xbox, Oculus, Vive, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch;
• companies in the Game Smithing group;
• organisations with which we have a professional relationship, where you have consented;
• social media and online platforms such as Twitter, Discord and YouTube;
• external professional advisors;
• law-enforcement bodies with a reasonable requirement to access it;
• potential purchasers of or investors in our business.

Some parties with whom we share personal data might be based abroad. For international transfers, we put appropriate safeguards in place to provide protection equivalent to that in the UK and EU.

How will we use your data?

Game Smithing collects your data so that we can:

• carry out obligations arising from contracts between you and us;
• provide news about our studio and games;
• receive and reply to correspondence;
• monitor service quality by gathering and analysing usage statistics;
• engage with players and potential players through surveys and advertising campaigns.

Marketing

Game Smithing may send you information about products and services that we think you might like. If you have agreed to receive marketing, you may opt out at any time by emailing support@gamesmithing.com or using the unsubscribe link in every marketing email.

What are your data protection rights?

Every user is entitled, subject to applicable conditions, to rights including:

• the right to access copies of your personal data;
• the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• the right to erasure;
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to object to processing;
• the right to data portability.

To exercise these rights, contact support@gamesmithing.com. We aim to respond within one month.

Third parties

Game Smithing services may contain or connect you with third-party content or services. Our Privacy Policy does not extend to external sites or companies, so please refer to their privacy policies.

Changes to our privacy policy

Game Smithing keeps its privacy policy under regular review and places updates on this web page. This privacy policy was last updated on 25 June 2024.

How to contact us

For questions about this privacy policy, the data we hold on you, or your data-protection rights, email support@gamesmithing.com.

How to contact the appropriate authority

To report a complaint, or if you feel that Game Smithing has not addressed your concern satisfactorily, you may contact the Information Commissioner's Office.