Privacy, with room to breathe

Who looks after your data

Gathering Season is made by George King, based in the United Kingdom. George King is responsible for the personal information used to operate the game’s services and respond to support requests (the “data controller”).

For privacy questions or requests, email [email protected].

Your gathering, on your device

The game saves your current gathering, preferences, personal stats, achievements and chosen title locally. It also stores the information needed to remember your sharing choice, securely manage any shared contribution and cache downloaded flock results.

These files are not a cloud save. Deleting app data or changing device can remove your progress and the credentials needed to manage a shared contribution. Your device or browser’s own backup, storage and privacy settings may also apply.

Game Center is not connected in the current version. The game does not send achievements or account information to Game Center. We will update this policy before introducing that connection or any other material change to data use.

Optional online stats

Looking at the flock

Where available, opening “The flock” requests combined results for compatible game rules, the selected number of CPU ducks and your platform filter. You can read these without sharing your own results. The request includes build and platform information. A saved copy may be shown, with an age or offline label, when fresh results are unavailable.

Sharing your results

Sharing is off by default. Choosing “Share stats” allows eligible gatherings started after that choice to contribute once their final results have been shown. Your earlier history is not uploaded.

The stats service receives cumulative numerical summaries, rather than your complete save or a move-by-move record. These include:

• A random installation identifier, the sharing-notice version and server timestamps.
• Game/build, rules and platform information, and the number of CPU ducks.
• Completed-game and win counts, twig totals and score distributions.
• Counts of recorded days, nights, wishes, obstacles, shelter rests, worn-out days and oasis visits.

A private credential lets your installation update or delete its contribution. The service stores authentication information to validate those requests. Keep that credential private; support will not ask you to email it.

We do not send your name, email address, duck title, individual game IDs, full saved game, achievements or Game Center ID to the stats service. Results linked to a random installation identifier are still identifiable to that installation; they are not described as anonymous.

Other players see combined figures only. Normally, comparative figures appear after 100 shared gatherings in the selected compatible group. Development Editor testing uses a lower threshold and separate test data.

We rely on your consent for optional contribution sharing and its continued use in flock comparisons. Providing these results is optional and is not a condition of playing.

You choose what to share

Open Settings → Privacy in the game to manage sharing.

• Sharing off stops new uploads. Results already shared remain in the flock totals.
• Delete my shared stats turns sharing off and requests removal of this installation’s contribution. Use this to withdraw consent to the continued use of your shared results.

Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before you withdrew. Deletion leaves your local personal stats, achievements and saved gathering in place.

If you are offline, deletion waits on your device until it can reach the service. The game shows when it is pending. Do not clear app storage or uninstall before the request finishes: doing so can remove the credential needed to complete it. If you need help, contact us before deleting the app.

After confirmed deletion, your contribution is removed from current service totals. Other devices can still show an earlier combined result for up to 15 minutes online, or longer when using a labelled offline copy.

Hosting and service providers

Cloudflare hosts this website and the stats service. The stats databases are configured for the European Union, and development results are separate from live results. This is not a promise that every network request or all provider processing stays in the EU or UK.

Delivering and protecting web requests necessarily involves connection information such as IP addresses, request times and browser or device information. We do not add IP addresses, private credentials or result payloads to stats application logs. Cloudflare may process network and security information under its own service policies.

We use this necessary service and security information for our legitimate interests in providing requested results, keeping the service reliable and preventing abuse. We also retain limited deletion guards so old credentials cannot restore removed contributions. These interests do not replace your consent for continued statistical use after withdrawal.

Cloudflare operates internationally. Its published data processing terms describe its transfer safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK Addendum where applicable. See also Cloudflare’s privacy policy. Contact us if you would like further information about safeguards relevant to your data.

We do not sell your information or use shared stats for advertising. App-store purchases and any diagnostics you choose to share with your platform provider are handled under that provider’s settings and privacy terms; we do not receive your payment-card details.

How long information stays

• Local progress and preferences: remain in your app storage until reset or removed, subject to your device’s storage and backup behaviour.
• Active shared contributions: remain while the stats feature operates unless you request deletion. There is currently no automatic inactivity expiry.
• Deletion guards: your statistical contribution is removed, but limited installation and authentication metadata (including build/platform information and timestamps), deletion records and abuse-prevention counters remain. These prevent old credentials restoring removed contributions and protect the service. They currently have no automatic expiry and are retained while needed for those purposes.
• Database recovery history: Cloudflare’s current free D1 plan can retain earlier database states for up to seven days. A recovery must preserve completed deletions before the service resumes.
• Support messages: retained for as long as needed to resolve your request and any related follow-up, dispute or legal obligation. You can ask us to delete information that is no longer needed.

Cloudflare controls retention of its own network and security records under its policies. We do not apply the database recovery period to all provider records.

Support and this website

If you email us, we receive your email address, message and anything you choose to attach through the email services used to deliver and manage support correspondence. We use this information to answer questions, investigate issues and respond to privacy requests, relying on legitimate interests in providing support and, where applicable, our legal obligations.

Please share only what is needed. Do not send private stats credentials, payment details or unnecessary personal information. Ask before sending saved-game files. The game does not silently attach saves or diagnostics to an email.

This website serves its fonts, images and video locally. Its own code does not add advertising trackers or analytics cookies. Cloudflare may process delivery and security information as described above. Following an external link opens a service with its own privacy terms.

Your privacy rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you can ask to access, correct, delete, restrict or receive a portable copy of personal information we hold about you. You can withdraw consent for optional stats use through the deletion control described above.

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. Email [email protected] to exercise your rights or discuss a concern. We may need proportionate information to verify a request. Because shared results use a random installation identifier, an email address alone may not identify a contribution; the in-game deletion control is the most direct route.

You can also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, or your local data protection authority where applicable. We do not make decisions using your personal information that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Families and policy updates

Gathering Season is a general-audience game. We do not ask for a date of birth or use gameplay results to infer a player’s age. Local play works with sharing off. If you are a parent or guardian with a privacy concern, contact us for help managing or removing information; please do not send extra information about a child unless it is needed to handle the request.

We will update this page when the game’s data handling changes and explain material changes in the game before relying on a new sharing choice. The date at the top identifies this version. A short privacy notice is also included in the game for offline reading.