Privacy Policy
Echo Protocol ("the game") is made by Black Cat Games ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information the game handles, why, and the choices you have. It applies to every version of the game (Steam, iOS, Android and web).
The short version
- There are no ads, no analytics and no tracking in the game, and we never sell your data.
- To back up your progress, the game creates a player ID with Unity Gaming Services and stores your progression there. If you play through Steam, Game Center or Google Play Games, that account is linked to the player ID so your progress follows you between devices.
- Everything else — settings, key bindings, a run in progress — stays on your device.
What the game collects
1. A player ID (Unity Authentication)
The first time you launch the game, it signs in to Unity Authentication. That creates a random player ID, which lets the game save your progress to the cloud and restore it later. The player ID isn't linked to your name or email.
If you choose to sign in with a Unity Player Account, Unity handles that sign-in, and your account details are covered by Unity's privacy policy. We only receive the player ID and the display name on that account.
2. Your progression (Unity Cloud Save)
The game backs up a small record of your progress, tied to your player ID:
- your Echoes balance and lifetime Echoes earned
- your permanent upgrade levels
- the highest Threat Tier you've cleared on each stage, and the tiers you've selected
- timestamps used to merge progress between devices
This record contains no personal information. We use it only to save your progress and sync it between your devices.
3. Technical data handled by Unity
Whenever the game talks to Unity Gaming Services, Unity receives standard connection data (such as your IP address and basic device and OS information) to run and secure the service. Unity handles that data under its own privacy policy: unity.com/legal/privacy-policy.
4. Your platform account (Steam, Game Center, Google Play Games)
When you play through Steam (PC, Mac, Linux, Steam Deck), Game Center (iOS) or Google Play Games (Android), the game signs you in with that account automatically and links it to your player ID, so the same account gets the same progress on every device. To do that, the platform hands Unity Authentication a one-time sign-in token, and Unity stores your platform account's ID (your Steam ID, Game Center player ID or Play Games player ID) against your player ID. Your display name and friends list are not sent. If sign-in with the platform isn't available, the game continues as a guest.
These accounts are also covered by their own privacy policies: Valve, Apple and Google.
5. Stored only on your device
Audio, graphics, gameplay and accessibility settings, key bindings, and a Redoubt run in progress are saved only on your device. They are never uploaded.
What the game does not do
- no advertising, and no ad or tracking IDs
- no analytics or telemetry
- no crash reports sent to us
- no in-game purchases
- no chat or other user-generated content
- no selling or sharing of data with third parties, apart from the Unity services described above
Links out of the game
The menus include a link to the Echo Protocol Discord server. Opening it takes you to Discord, which is covered by Discord's own privacy policy.
How long we keep data
Your cloud progress record is kept for as long as your player ID exists. Choosing New Game or Reset Progression in the game resets the progression stored in that record.
To delete everything, open Settings → Account → Delete Account & Data and confirm. This permanently deletes your cloud progress record and your player ID from Unity Gaming Services, and erases all progress stored on your device, straight away. If you can't use that option (for example, you no longer have the game installed), contact us (below) with your player name and we'll delete your data within 30 days.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EU/UK, or CCPA/CPRA in California), you may have the right to access, correct, delete or export your data, or to object to how it's processed. The game doesn't know your name or email, so please include the player name shown on the Settings → Account screen when you contact us so we can find your record.
Children
The game is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we don't knowingly collect personal information from them. If you think a child has given us personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change what the game collects, we'll update this page and its effective date before the change ships.
Contact
Black Cat Games — robert.goins@gmail.com