Cascade4 Privacy Policy
Short version: Cascade4 has no account system. We never see your name, email address, contacts, precise location, or payment details. Playing online with a friend sends your moves through a relay service for the length of the match and keeps nothing afterwards. A small amount of technical data is collected by the third-party services listed below, which we use to show ads, understand gameplay, and process purchases.
1. Who we are
Cascade4 (“the game”) is developed and published by Coldstart Games (“we”, “us”). For the purposes of the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Coldstart Games is the data controller for the processing described in this policy. This policy applies to the game as distributed on Google Play and the Apple App Store. If you have any question about this policy or your data, contact us at contact@coldstartgames.net.
2. Online matches
When you host or join a match with a friend, the two phones exchange the moves of the game through Ably, a real-time messaging service. What travels is the room code, each player’s moves, the powerup cards each player brought, and a random connection identifier the game makes up for the match. Nothing you type is sent, and no game data is stored on a server: Ably holds each message only long enough to deliver it, and we do not keep a copy.
To connect to Ably, the game first asks a small service we run for a short-lived access token. Like any web request, that service sees your IP address, and keeps standard connection logs for a short time before they are discarded. It stores nothing about you and nothing about the match.
The game does not need an internet connection for anything else. Story mode, Quick Play and every other screen work offline.
3. Data collected by third-party services
Advertising (Google AdMob). The game may show ads through Google AdMob. To serve and measure ads, Google may collect: your device’s advertising identifier, your IP address (which gives an approximate, city-level location), general device information (model, operating system version), and ad interaction data (which ads were shown, viewed, or tapped). Where required by law, for example in the EEA and the UK, a consent form is shown before personalized ads are served, and you can decline. How Google uses this data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
Analytics (GameAnalytics). The game may send anonymous gameplay statistics to GameAnalytics to help us balance and improve it. This includes: a randomly generated player identifier (created on first launch and not tied to your identity), device model and operating system version, and gameplay events such as levels completed, matches won, session length, ads watched, and in-app purchases made (the item and price, never any payment details). See the GameAnalytics privacy policy.
Purchases (Google Play / Apple App Store). In-app purchases are processed entirely by the app store you use. We never receive or store your payment information. The store only confirms to the game that a purchase completed, so the purchased item can be unlocked.
4. Legal bases for processing (EEA and UK)
Where the GDPR applies, the data described above is processed on the following legal bases:
- Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) for relaying an online match you chose to start. The relay cannot work without sending your moves to the other player.
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) for personalized advertising. Consent is asked through the in-app consent form before personalized ads are served, and you can decline. You can withdraw consent at any time by declining in the consent form when it is shown, and you can reset or delete your device’s advertising identifier in your device settings at any time.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) for serving non-personalized ads, measuring ad delivery, anonymous gameplay analytics, keeping the relay service running, and preventing fraud and abuse. These interests are balanced against your rights, and none of this data identifies you directly.
5. International data transfers
Ably, Google and GameAnalytics may process the data described above on servers outside your country, including in the United States. For data originating in the EEA or the UK, these providers rely on recognised safeguards such as the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. Details are in their privacy policies linked above.
6. Data we do not collect
The game has no account creation, login, chat, or user-generated content. We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, files, precise location, or anything from your camera or microphone. An online opponent sees your moves and your cards, and nothing else about you.
7. Data stored on your device
Your game progress, collection, and settings are stored only on your device. They are deleted when you uninstall the game, and you can erase them at any time in Settings → Reset all progress inside the game.
8. Children
The game is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data through the game, contact us and we will help remove it.
9. Your choices
- Ad personalization: where a consent form is shown, you can decline personalized ads. You can also reset or delete your device’s advertising identifier at any time, on Android under Settings → Privacy → Ads and on iOS under Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
- Offline play: everything except online matches works offline. Ads and analytics only transmit data while your device is online.
10. Data retention and your rights
We do not hold personal data ourselves. Match messages are discarded by Ably shortly after delivery, connection logs on our token service are discarded within days, and data collected by Google or GameAnalytics is retained and deleted according to their policies linked above.
Where the GDPR or similar laws (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act) apply, you have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of data held about you, the right to restrict or object to its processing, and the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal. Google and GameAnalytics hold the data described in this policy, so their privacy policies describe how to exercise these rights with them directly. You can always contact us at contact@coldstartgames.net and we will help.
If you are in the EEA or the UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will post the new version at this address with an updated effective date.