Project Shadow – Privacy Policy
In short: Project Shadow has no accounts and does not collect your name, email address, contacts, photos or precise location. Your game progress stays on your device. The game shows ads through Google AdMob, and Google collects some device data to serve and measure those ads. With your consent, the game also sends anonymous gameplay statistics to Google Analytics for Firebase so we can see which missions are too hard or too easy. Both are described below.
1. Who we are
Project Shadow (“the game”, package com.isheeze.projectshadow) is a single-player stealth game for
Android published by the independent developer isheeze (“we”, “us”). This policy explains what information is
processed when you play and why.
2. Information the game keeps on your device
The game saves the following only in your device’s local app storage. It is never uploaded to us or to anyone else:
- Game progress: completed missions, checkpoints and the current mission state.
- Your profile: credits, items you have unlocked, your best rating and times per mission, and streaks.
- Settings: sound and music volume, control scheme, handedness, map and hint preferences.
- Ad frequency counters (for example, how many missions you have completed since the last ad), used so that ads are not shown too often.
Uninstalling the game or clearing its app data deletes all of this permanently.
3. Advertising (Google AdMob)
The game is free and supported by ads provided by Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK). The game shows an occasional full-screen ad between missions and optional rewarded ads that you choose to watch (for example to get a “Second chance” or more stones or grenades). Watching a rewarded ad is always optional.
To serve, personalise (where you have allowed it), limit and measure ads and to prevent fraud, the Google Mobile Ads SDK automatically collects and shares with Google:
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Advertising ID (device identifier) | Advertising, analytics, fraud prevention |
| Approximate location derived from your IP address | Advertising, fraud prevention |
| App interactions with ads (views, taps) and app launches | Advertising, analytics |
| Diagnostics (crash logs, performance data related to ads) | Analytics, fraud prevention |
| Device information (model, operating system version, language) | Advertising, fraud prevention |
This data is collected by Google, not by us; we cannot see it and do not receive it. It is encrypted in transit. Google’s use of it is governed by the Google Privacy Policy. You can learn more at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
4. Gameplay analytics (Google Analytics for Firebase)
To find out where players get stuck and which missions need rebalancing, the game sends anonymous gameplay events to Google Analytics for Firebase, a service run by Google for us. The events are:
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Gameplay events: a mission started, failed (and why), retried, quit or completed (with its rating, time and credits earned), objectives completed, tutorial steps seen | Analytics: balancing the game |
| Offers and results of optional rewarded ads, store views and purchases (which pack, not payment details) | Analytics |
| An app-instance identifier created by Firebase, device model, operating system version, language, approximate country (from the IP address) | Analytics |
We see these only as totals and charts; they are not linked to your name or any account, and are not used for advertising (the game tells Firebase not to use them for ads). Collection starts only after your consent choice allows it, and follows the same choice you make for ads (see section 5). Data is encrypted in transit and kept by Google for the retention period set for our project (14 months at most). Google’s use is governed by the Firebase privacy information.
5. In-app purchases
Credit packs are bought through Google Play. Payment is handled entirely by Google; we never see or store your payment details. The game only learns that a purchase was made, so it can add the credits.
6. Your choices and consent
- Consent (EEA, UK, Switzerland and other regions where required): the first time you open the game, Google’s consent form asks whether you allow personalised ads and related data use. The same choice decides whether gameplay analytics are collected. You can change your choice at any time in Settings → Privacy choices inside the game.
- Advertising ID: you can reset or delete your advertising ID, or opt out of ad personalisation, in your Android settings (Settings → Privacy → Ads or Google → Ads, depending on your device).
- No ads at all: ad data collection stops when you stop using the game; you can remove all local data by uninstalling it.
7. Permissions
The game uses only these permissions: internet and network-state access (to load ads and send analytics), the advertising ID permission declared by the Google Mobile Ads SDK, and vibration (for haptic feedback on the controls). It does not request access to your location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos or files.
8. Children
Project Shadow is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country). It contains stylised combat and shows ads. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the game, contact us and we will help remove it.
9. Sharing and selling
We do not sell your personal information and we do not share any information with third parties ourselves. The only third party that receives data from the game is Google: through the AdMob SDK (section 3), Google Analytics for Firebase (section 4) and Google Play for purchases (section 5).
10. Data retention and deletion
Game data stays on your device until you delete it or uninstall the game. We hold no copy. Analytics events are kept for at most 14 months and then deleted automatically; to have them deleted sooner, contact us (section 13). Data collected by Google for advertising is retained according to Google’s policies; you can manage it through your Google account and your device’s ad settings.
11. Security
Local game data is kept in the game’s private app storage, which other apps cannot read. Ad traffic handled by the Google Mobile Ads SDK and analytics events are encrypted in transit.
12. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new effective date. Significant changes will also be mentioned in the game’s update notes on Google Play.
13. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy or your data:
isheeze · isheeze@gmail.com