Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

 (Last Updated: October 9, 2024)

0. WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?

What we Consider Your Personal Information

This covers information that directly identifies you: name, email, physical address, etc. Some laws also include things like your device ID or gamer tag if these can be easily linked back to you, so we consider that, too.

What we DON’T Consider your Personal Information

General gameplay data. Things like your favourite character choice, level of difficulty you play, time spent in-game… these help us improve our games and your experience, but aren’t tied to you as a real person.

Business contact info. If you work at a game publication and reach out from your work email, that’s different from your private gamer account.

Truly anonymous stuff. Surveys where we never ask for your name, aggregated numbers on how players beat a boss, etc.

Here’s the important part!

We only collect your personal information for specific reasons (account creation, support tickets, merch purchases, newsletters, bug reporting, etc.) and we promise to be open about it (and careful!). Laws about online privacy are always changing, and we’ll try our best to keep up and adjust this policy when needed.

At the end of the day, it’s YOUR data. You’ll always have options to see what we collect, request changes, or ask us to delete it within reason.

And as a general rule, be smart about what info you share in public chats or on profiles others can see. We will NEVER ask you for personal information in a game chat, for instance. Be safe–if you’re not sure, reach out to us directly at [email protected] and we’ll help you out!

The rest of this document goes into more details. We aim for clarity, but full legal accuracy sometimes gets technical. Questions? Contact us here: [email protected].

All right, on to the legalese!

This privacy policy (this “Policy”) describes the practices of Brace Yourself Games Inc. and its corporate affiliates (collectively, “we”, “us”, “our”) with respect to our collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information provided to us from users of (a) the websites operated at www.braceyourselfgames.com, www.necrodancer.com, www.phantombrigade.com, www.industriesoftitan.com and such other web locations associated with our products as made available from time to time (collectively, the “Website”), (b) any game, “app” or other front-end software provided by us (for greater certainty, excluding third party software that may interact with the Website or the Service, as defined below) that interacts or interfaces with the Website (the “Software”), and (c) the services we provide through the Website and/or the Software (collectively, with the provision of the Software, the “Service”). It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your personal information and how you can access and update this information.

1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL CONCEPTS

We respect and uphold individual rights to privacy and the protection of personal information.  We know how important it is to protect your personal information and want to make every customer experience safe and secure. 

We will only collect, use or disclose personal information in accordance with this Policy, and in accordance with laws applicable to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by us (“Applicable Privacy Laws”).

a. Personal Information

For the purposes of this Policy, “personal information” means any information about an individual that could be used to identify an individual.  Examples of personal information include, for example, an individual’s name, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, social insurance number, sex, income and family status. Applicable Privacy Laws for your region may contain more robust definitions (including exclusions). Please consult those for more information..

b. Non-Personal Information

Applicable Privacy Laws may allow for some exceptions to what is considered personal information.  “Non-personal information” is any type of information other than personal information, and is excluded from this Policy. For example, non-personal information would include reasonably available business information, or information that enables an individual to be contacted at a place of business, for example an employee’s name, position or title, business telephone number, or business address. Non-personal information also includes information that is anonymous or not about an identifiable individual, such statistical information about web browsing (such as the domains used to access the Website, or the type and version of devices, browsers or operating systems being used to access the Service), or aggregate information that anonymizes the underlying data (like the number of visitors, what pages users visit, average time spent on the Website or on various parts of the Service). We will collect, use or disclose non-personal information in accordance with our ordinary business practices, but always in accordance with any applicable laws. This Policy, however, only covers our collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

c. Information about Minors Under 13 Years of Age

This site is intended solely for users who are 13 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information about any person under the age of 13, and no such person, nor any parent or guardian as it relates to such person, should submit their personal information to us for any reason. Please do not submit personal information about minors under 13 years of age to us, whether through the Website, the Service or otherwise.

2. COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

As indicated above, we collect two types of information through our Service: personal information and non-personal information. The types of information we collect about you will depend on the nature of your interaction with us or the Service.

a. Information we collect from you

We may collect the following personal information from you:

  • Contact information such as name and email address;
  • Unique identifiers such as user name, account number and password;
  • Your performance within our games and applications, such as high scores and playtesting analytics;
  • Preferences information such as request history and marketing preferences; and
  • Any information that you voluntarily enter, including personal information, into any postings, comments, reviews or forums.
  • We may at times require additional agreements, such as Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for participation in select activities. These will contain their own terms regarding information collected and its permitted use.

We may also automatically gather information about your computer or through your platform such as your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and operating system, as well as which aspects of our performance metric indicators are available with our technology or Services you prefer using.  Some of this may be personal information, but in some cases, it is non-personal information.  Specific examples follow:

  • Technical Information
      • IP Address – We may collect your computer’s IP address, your Internet Service Provider’s IP address, and the IP address of the website that linked you to our Website. This helps us with website and system administration, such as diagnosing technical issues and protecting against attacks. Wherever possible, we will mask IP addresses to protect your privacy.
      • Device Information – This includes the type of operating system and browser you use. This helps us understand how our services are accessed and used so we can optimize them for different devices.
      • Access Times – We may record when you access our Website or games to help us analyze usage patterns and improve performance.
  • Website Usage
      • Browsing Activity – We collect information about the sections of our Website you visit, the pages you read, the images you view, and any content you download. This helps us understand how people use our Website so we can make it better.
  • Game Data
      • Gameplay Information – This may include your in-game progress, achievements, and interactions with other players. This helps us improve the game experience and provide technical support.
      • IP Address (Games) – We may collect IP information in our games for online functionality like matchmaking and to help us identify and address bugs reported by players.
  • Cookies and Similar Technologies
      • Cookies – We may use cookies, which are small files that are placed on your computer to help the Website recognize you and provide a better user experience. Most browsers allow you to adjust their settings to manage cookies.
      • Web Beacons and Pixels – We may use web beacons and pixels, which are tiny image files, to gather information about website traffic and usage. These technologies may also be used in our emails to see which emails and links have been opened. This helps us improve our communications and marketing efforts. Many email services allow you to adjust their settings to disable automatic loading of images.
      • Third-Party Analytics – We may use third-party services like Mailchimp and Google Analytics, which may use their own cookies, web beacons, and pixels to collect information about your activity on our Website. These services have their own privacy policies and opt-out options.
  • Location Information
    • Mobile Devices – When playing our games on a mobile device, we may request access to your location data. This helps us provide location-based features, improve game security, and cater content to your region. You can disable location sharing in your device settings.

3. USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may use your personal information, in combination with your non-personal information, for a variety of business purposes, for example to do the following:

  • Send you requested information;
  • Send you new product or service information;
  • Respond to customer service requests;
  • Send you a newsletter;
  • Send you marketing communications;
  • Respond to your questions and concerns;
  • Manage accounts you have with us; or
  • For other purposes as described in this Policy. 

4. OUR PERMITTED USES AND YOUR CONSENT

We will collect, use, or disclose your personal information where we are required or permitted to collect, use or disclose your personal information by Applicable Privacy Laws. This Policy is designed to give you knowledge of how we collect, use and disclose it.  When you choose to provide us with your personal information, you consent to the use of your personal information as identified in this Policy and as may be further identified at the time of collection.

a. Express Consent

Sometimes you will be asked to give your express consent to our collection, use or disclosure of personal information. For example, being asked to check a box to indicate your consent to receive marketing communications in compliance with Canada’s anti-spam laws.

b. Implied Consent

Other times, you may provide your implied consent to our collection, use or disclosure of personal information when we can reasonably conclude that you have given consent by some action you have taken or an action you have decided not to take.  Generally, this occurs where the purpose for the use of your personal information would be reasonably apparent to you. For example, when you provide us with your email address through a form or email seeking information, you provide us with implied consent to use that email address in order to respond to your request.

c. Withdrawing Your Consent

You may notify us at any time that you wish to withdraw or change your consent to our use and disclosure or your personal information.  We will accommodate your request subject to legal and contractual restrictions.  The most common way of indicating this withdrawal of consent is (i) by changing your privacy preferences to the extent such functionality is made available through the Service, or (ii) deleting your account with the Service and stopping use of the Service.  In other situations, you may be able to opt out of the use of your personal information.  For example, if you have “opted in” or subscribed to one of our mailing lists, we will always provide you the opportunity to “opt out” or unsubscribe. If you receive emails from us, we will provide a link in the email which you can use to unsubscribe from that mailing list, or you may contact us at [email protected].

You may also choose not to provide us with your personal information. However, if you make this choice, or if you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide you with some or all of the Service, or information that you have requested.

If you have questions about consent or withdrawing your consent, please contact us at [email protected].

5. INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THIRD PARTIES

If you provide us personal information about others, or if others give us your information, we will only use that information for the specific reason for which it was provided to us and in accordance with this Policy and such policy under which that information was collected.

For example, if you access our Services through a platform like Valve’s Steam, Microsoft’s Xbox Live, or Sony’s PlayStation Network, those platforms may collect and provide information to us information that may be considered personal information under Applicable Privacy Laws, which we will always treat in accordance with those third party’s policies and our own set out herein; we will only use that information to provide you the Services (examples of which being offering Achievements or Trophies, providing leaderboards and high scores, or matchmaking for multiplayer games).

6. DISCLOSURE AND SHARING OF YOUR INFORMATION

We will share your personal information with third parties only in the ways that are described in this Policy. We will not sell your personal information to third parties, however the use of our Service may necessarily require some sharing or disclosure of your personal information.  Some of these activities may result in personal information collected by us being stored or processed in the United States or elsewhere outside of Canada and, as a result, your personal information may be accessible to law enforcement and regulatory authorities in accordance with the USA PATRIOT Act, the USA FREEDOM Act and other applicable laws of the United States or elsewhere.

a. Third Party Processors

We may provide your personal information to companies that provide services to help us with the Service such as web-hosting providers, payment processors, product shipping providers, fulfillment agencies, or customer service agencies (“Third Party Processors”). These Third Party Processors are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us, and in a manner consistent with this Policy.  We have selected Third Party Processors who will only use your information in compliance with this Policy, but they may have their own specific policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information that will apply.  We will use commercially reasonable efforts to identify such Third Party Processors when we are collecting your personal information, as well as providing links to the relevant privacy policies that may apply.

b. Further Disclosures

We may also disclose your personal information (i) as required by law such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process, (ii) when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request, or (iii) to any other third party with your prior consent to do so.

c. Third Party Links

Our Service may contain links to other websites or Internet resources which are provided solely for your convenience and information. When you click on one of those links you are contacting another website or Internet resource. We have no responsibility or liability for, or control over, those other websites or Internet resources or their collection, use and disclosure of your personal information.  

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of those other websites to learn how they collect and use your personal information.

7. SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The security of your personal information is important to us. We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. We employ physical, administrative, contractual and technological safeguards to protect personal information, and insist that our service providers do the same.  We insist that our personnel, and those of our providers, only access and use personal information in order to properly perform those duties, and even then only to the strict extent necessary to perform them.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, and so you should always exercise caution when disclosing sensitive information over the Internet.

8. REQUESTS FOR ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Applicable Privacy Laws allow, to varying degrees, individuals the right to access and/or request the correction of errors or omissions in his or her personal information that is in our custody or under our control. This includes:

  • identification of personal information under our custody or control;
  • information about how personal information under our control may be or has been used by us; and
  • the names of any individuals and organizations to which the individual’s personal information has been disclosed.

We will respond to requests within the time allowed by Applicable Privacy Laws and will make every effort to respond as accurately and completely as possible. Any corrections made to personal information will be promptly sent to any organization it was disclosed to.

In certain exceptional circumstances, we may not be able to provide access to certain personal information it holds about an individual. If access cannot be provided, we will notify the individual making the request within 30 days, in writing, of the reasons for the refusal.

9. CASL POLICY

We are committed to compliance with the law known as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”).   Any electronic communication sent by us to outside parties is protected by a range of business procedures, processes and policies to ensure that such communication is done in compliance with CASL. In our electronic communications with outside parties, we comply with the rules established by CASL and enforced by various Canadian authorities including the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. CASL regulates, and our policies generally apply to, each commercial electronic message (CEM) we send, which is an electronic message sent to an electronic address that, among its purposes, encourages participation in a commercial activity.

In addition to adopting this Policy, and to provide transparency about our compliance, we have undertaken various initiatives in order to ensure we are compliant with CASL in various respects:

  • Consent—We do not send CEMs without your consent. This consent typically must be “explicit” (or explicitly acknowledged by you), but in certain circumstances consent can be “implied” and in others, messages are specifically exempt from consent requirements. We have modified or adopted our sign-up, registration and consent forms in order to ensure that the express consent obtained from you is in compliance with CASL.  When we are collecting your electronic contact information, you will know what purposes we want to use it for.
  • Content—We have adopted processes to ensure that our CEMs contain the prescribed content of CASL. On any CEM from us (usually in the footer), we will clearly:
    • Identify ourselves as the party sending the CEM, and whether we are sending the message on our own behalf or on behalf of someone else;
    • Provide you contact information where you can readily contact us; and
    • Set out a clear, working unsubscribe mechanism (or preference centre) that is easy to use, automatic, and at no cost to you (other than your own cost of connecting to the Internet).
  • Clarity—We have ensured that each constituent element of a CEM (including its header, its content, or any links or URLs in the CEM) conveys the appropriate information, whether viewed individually or taken as a whole, so that you always know what you are clicking on.

If you have received a CEM from us, and you believe that you should not have or you do not wish to receive them (even if we are allowed to send them), we will endeavour to respect your inbox preferences.  Without limiting our legal rights or obligations, we try to ensure that all our messages contain useful identity information and unsubscribe or preferences links —if you check the CEM itself, you will find clear instructions on how to stop receiving CEMs from us or manage your mail preferences.  When you unsubscribe, it should happen very quickly – but as required by CASL we will make sure it occurs within 10 business days.  If you have any questions or concerns about our unsubscribe methods, you may contact us at [email protected].

10. REMOVAL OF YOUR INFORMATION

We keep your information only as long as we need it for legitimate business purposes and to meet any legal requirements. Personal information used to make a decision that directly affects an individual will be kept for at least one year after such a decision. We have retention standards that meet these parameters. We destroy your information when it is no longer needed or required to be kept, or we remove your personally identifiable information to render it anonymous.  We also comply with Applicable Privacy Laws regarding the removal of your information.

11. UPDATES OR CHANGES TO PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Policy to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make any material changes we will either (a) notify you by email (sent to the e-mail address specified in your account), or (b) provide a notice on the Website or otherwise through the Service prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. Any change to this Privacy Policy will become effective on the date so indicated, and will apply to information collected from the date of the posting of the revised privacy policy and to existing information held by us.  The date on which the latest update was made is indicated at the bottom of this document.  We recommend that you print a copy of this privacy policy for your reference and revisit this policy from time to time to ensure you are aware of any changes.  Your continued use of the Service signifies your acceptance of any changes to this Policy.

12. CONTACT INFORMATION

You can direct any questions or concerns regarding our compliance with this Policy to [email protected].

If you are not satisfied with our response to a question or concern you may be able to make a complaint under Applicable Privacy Laws.