Privacy Policy

CindieForge is an indie game studio. This policy covers our website at cindieforge.com and our games, including From Embers and any other titles we publish on Steam or other platforms.

Website

• With your permission, we use Google Analytics to see which pages get visited and which links to Steam get clicked. It stays off until you accept the prompt shown on your first visit. If you accept, it sets cookies in your browser (such as _ga) to tell one visit from another, and it sends Google the pages you view, your browser and device type, and your approximate location, which Google works out from your IP address. We do not connect any of it to your name or email address.
• You can change your answer at any time with the Analytics choice link at the bottom of every page. Saying no turns Google Analytics off and removes its cookies. We keep your answer in your browser's local storage so we do not have to ask again, and the site works the same either way.
• We do not run ads on this site.
• Apart from that, we do not collect personal information through our website unless you voluntarily provide it, for example by sending the contact form or contacting us via email or Discord.
• The contact form on our Contact page collects your email address, your message, and anything else you choose to fill in (name, game, platform). Netlify receives and stores each submission and emails it to us. We use it only to reply to you, act on your feedback, or contact you about a playtest you asked to join.
• Our hosting provider (Netlify) may collect standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) for security and performance purposes.
• The DelveWright pre-order page loads its checkout from PayPal, so PayPal sees your IP address and may set its own cookies on that page, even if you don't buy. If you do, PayPal passes us your name, your email address and the transaction details, and we use them only to send your Steam key and answer you about the order.
• The fonts on this site load from Google Fonts, so your browser fetches them from Google's servers, which see your IP address the way any web server does.

Games on Steam

• Our games may collect anonymous, aggregated analytics data (e.g., play sessions, feature usage) to help us improve gameplay. This data is not personally identifiable.
• We do not collect, store, or process personal information through our games.
• Steam itself collects data as described in Valve's Privacy Policy. We do not control or have access to that data.

Browser-Based Games

• Games embedded on our website may use browser local storage to save your game progress. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to us.
• The Every Shiny Thing demo is hosted on itch.io, not on this site. Following the link to play it takes you to itch.io, and what happens there is covered by itch.io's privacy policy.
• Outfitter runs entirely on your device. It has no account, no cookies, and no third-party analytics, and it makes no network requests at all once it has loaded. It autosaves your run, your settings and a few plain play counters (how many sessions and runs you have started and finished) to your own browser storage. None of it is transmitted, and none of it reaches us.
• Stakes runs entirely on your device. The game has no account, no analytics, no cookies, and makes no network requests at all once it has loaded. It stores your win/loss record and settings in your own browser, and that data never reaches us.

Any data we collect is used solely to:

• Operate and improve our website and games
• Respond to support requests or inquiries
• Ensure the security and stability of our services

We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.

We may use the following third-party services, each with their own privacy practices:

• Google: website analytics (Google Analytics, only if you allow it) and font delivery (Google Fonts)
• Steam (Valve Corporation): game distribution and community features
• itch.io: hosting for the Every Shiny Thing demo and the SeloDev tools storefront
• PayPal: payment for DelveWright Steam key pre-orders
• Netlify: website hosting and contact form submissions
• Discord: community communication

We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

Our games and website are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

We retain any data we collect only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Anonymous analytics data may be retained indefinitely in aggregate form.

Contact form submissions are kept until we no longer need them to reply or to act on the feedback, or until you ask us to delete them.

Depending on your location, you may have rights to:

• Access, correct, or delete your personal data
• Object to or restrict processing
• Data portability

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of our website or games after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions about this privacy policy, reach out through our Contact page or join our Discord community.