ByteString Games Studio ("we", "us", "our") operates the mobile game Runic Cascade (the "Game"). This Privacy Policy explains what information the Game collects, how it is used, and the choices you have.
By downloading or using the Game, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
01 Who we are
ByteString Games Studio
Contact: contact@bytestringgamesstudio.com
02 Information the Game collects
We designed Runic Cascade to collect as little personal information as possible. The Game does not ask for your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, or precise location.
The Game and the third-party services it uses collect the following:
Information you provide
- A display name you choose for leaderboards. Do not enter real personal information as your display name.
- An optional invite/referral code, if you choose to enter one shared by a friend.
- If you choose to sign in with Google Play Games (Android) or Apple Game Center (iOS), a stable player identifier plus basic profile and friend information from that service. This lets the Game keep your progress and leaderboard standing tied to your account so they carry over when you reinstall the Game or switch to a new device, and it enables friend leaderboards and achievements. Signing in is optional; if you decline, the Game still works and saves your progress under an anonymous identifier instead.
Information collected automatically
- Device and usage data - device model, operating system version, language, and general information about how you play (for example, levels started and completed). This is used to run the Game and improve it.
- Advertising identifier - a resettable ID provided by your device, used to show ads and limit how often the same ad appears.
- An account identifier - used to save your game progress to the cloud and to record leaderboard scores. If you sign in with Google Play Games or Apple Game Center, this identifier is linked to that account so your progress follows you across devices and reinstalls; if you do not sign in, an anonymous identifier is used instead. In neither case does it include your name or email address.
- Purchase records - if you buy something, the purchase is processed by Google Play on Android or the Apple App Store on iOS. We receive a record that a purchase happened, but we never receive or store your payment card details.
03 How we use information
- To run the Game and save your progress across devices
- To operate leaderboards, including optional friend leaderboards
- To ask for, record and respect your advertising consent choices where the law requires it
- To show and measure advertisements, which involves sharing certain data (such as your advertising identifier, app interactions, and device information) with our advertising partner Google AdMob for advertising, analytics, and fraud prevention
- To operate the optional invite-a-friend feature, which uses a referral code you may share and, if you enter someone’s code, records which player referred you so a reward can be granted
- To understand how the Game is used so we can improve it
- To process and validate in-app purchases
- To detect, prevent, and address technical problems or abuse
04 Third-party services
The Game uses trusted third-party services that collect information under their own privacy policies:
- Google AdMob - advertising. policies.google.com/privacy
- Google Firebase (Analytics, Firestore, Authentication) - analytics and cloud save. firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Google Play Services / Billing (Android) - purchases and core services. policies.google.com/privacy
- Apple App Store / In-App Purchase (iOS) - purchases and core services. apple.com/legal/privacy
- Google Play Games (Android) and Apple Game Center (iOS) - optional sign-in that creates a stable player identity used to save and restore your progress and leaderboard standing across devices and reinstalls, and to enable friend leaderboards and achievements. Used only if you choose to sign in. policies.google.com/privacy / apple.com/legal/privacy
Some of these services, in particular Google AdMob, automatically collect and share data such as your advertising identifier, IP address, app interactions, and diagnostic information for advertising, analytics, and fraud prevention. Data used to save your progress and operate leaderboards (such as your anonymous identifier and display name) stays within our own Firebase project and is not sold or shared with third parties for their own purposes. We encourage you to review each provider’s policy.
05 Advertising
The Game shows ads provided by Google AdMob, including banner ads, full-screen ads shown between levels, and optional rewarded ads you choose to watch. Ad providers may use your advertising identifier to show more relevant ads. You can reset or limit ad personalization at any time in your device settings:
- Android: Settings > Privacy > Ads
- iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking / Apple Advertising
Consent. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the Game asks for your consent through Google's consent message before personalized ads are shown. You can review or change that choice at any time from Settings > Ad privacy in the Game.
Removing ads through an in-app purchase stops ads from displaying but does not by itself change data collection by the services above.
06 Children's privacy
Runic Cascade is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us at report@bytestringgamesstudio.com and we will delete it.
07 Your choices and rights
- Reset the advertising ID or opt out of ad personalization in device settings.
- Delete your data - you can request deletion of your saved data and leaderboard entries at any time. See the "How to request data deletion" section below for the exact steps.
- Depending on where you live (for example the EEA/UK under GDPR, or California under CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information. Contact us to exercise them.
07a How to request data deletion
This section explains how to request deletion of data associated with Runic Cascade by ByteString Games Studio.
Steps to request deletion:
- Send an email to deleteme@bytestringgamesstudio.com from any email address.
- In the message, include the display name you use in the Game (and, if you know it, your in-game player ID) so we can locate your data.
- We will process the request and confirm by reply once your data has been deleted, typically within 30 days.
Data that is deleted when you make a request: your cloud-saved game progress, your chosen display name and the unique-name record that reserves it, your leaderboard entries, and any referral records linking your account to invites.
Data that may be kept: we may retain limited records required for security, fraud prevention, tax, or legal compliance (for example, a record that a purchase occurred, held by Google Play or the Apple App Store), and any data already collected by third-party services such as Google AdMob under their own policies. Aggregated or anonymized data that can no longer be linked to you may also be kept.
Most game data is tied to a player identifier (an anonymous one, or your Google Play Games / Apple Game Center account if you sign in) rather than to your real-world identity. Uninstalling the Game removes the local copy of your data from your device, but cloud-saved data linked to your account is kept, by design, so it can be restored when you reinstall or switch devices; it remains until you request deletion as described above.
08 Data retention
Cloud save and leaderboard data are kept while the Game is operating so your progress is available across devices. You can request deletion at any time using the contact email above.
09 Data security
We use reputable providers (Google Firebase) and reasonable measures to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10 International transfers
The third-party services we use may process and store data on servers located in other countries, including the United States. By using the Game you understand your information may be transferred to and processed in those locations.
11 Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, a notice in the Game.
12 Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy:
privacy@bytestringgamesstudio.com
ByteString Games Studio