This policy explains what data Annhexation collects and what happens to it. The short version: as little as possible.
Who’s Responsible
Annhexation is made by James Randall, an individual based in the United Kingdom. I am the data controller for the limited personal data described below.
Contact: contact@annhexation.com
What I Collect
Your email address
When you create an account, I store your email address. That’s it. No name, no password, no profile.
I use it for one thing: sending you the one-time login link when you want to log in. I will not email you for any other reason unless you’ve separately signed up for a newsletter.
Authentication cookie
When you log in, a cookie is set on your device. It exists solely to keep you logged in across sessions. It is not used for tracking or advertising.
Anonymous gameplay analytics
While you play, the Game collects gameplay analytics — things like which units were built, how long games lasted, what tech paths were taken. This is not linked to your email or account. It’s used to balance and improve the Game.
Gameplay Statistics
The demos — the Steam demo and the in-browser demo on this site — send basic gameplay statistics so I can see where players stop and whether they reach the parts of the Game that matter. Each statistic is a single count of something happening, with a few coarse details:
- the demo was launched, a new game was started, or a saved game was loaded (and whether you chose to resume it or it was restored automatically);
- a game reached turn 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100;
- a game was won, lost, or reached the demo’s turn limit (with the turn and, for a win or loss, the victory type);
- a “get the full game” button was pressed, and where (this is a click, not a wishlist or purchase);
- which demo (Steam or browser), the game version, the AI difficulty, and whether tutorial hints were on.
No player, account, Steam, device, installation, game or session identifier is collected, nothing is stored on your device for this purpose apart from your on/off choice, and the statistics are only ever counted in aggregate, never used to follow an individual. Like any web request, sending one reaches the website’s servers, whose access logs record the IP address (see “How Long I Keep Things”); those logs are not joined to the statistics.
The statistics are on by default, and you can turn them off at any time — immediately and without restarting — from the notice on the demo’s main menu (the in-game menu in the browser demo), or with Share gameplay statistics in Settings. Once off, nothing further is sent. Statistics already received can’t be removed individually, because nothing links them to you.
The full paid game on Steam does not send these statistics.
Final game state
When you play in the browser and a game ends, its final state is saved server-side so I can analyse it for balance and design purposes. Games played in the Steam versions are not uploaded. This contains no personal information — just the state of the in-game world (units, cities, scores, that sort of thing).
What I Don’t Collect
- No real names, addresses, phone numbers, or payment details (purchases on Steam or the App Store are handled by those platforms; I don’t see your card data).
- No advertising or third-party tracking cookies.
- No location data beyond the broad region implied by your IP address during a session.
- No data from third parties about you.
Legal Basis (UK GDPR)
I rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract: I need your email to provide you with login access to the Game.
- Legitimate interests: Anonymous gameplay analytics and final game state, used to improve and balance the Game. There is no realistic privacy impact since the data is not linked to you.
- Statistical purposes: the demos’ gameplay statistics are collected solely to produce aggregate statistics for improving the Game, with clear information here and a free, simple way to turn them off (UK PECR’s statistical-purposes exception; legitimate interests under UK GDPR).
- Consent: If you sign up for a newsletter or similar, that’s separate and based on your explicit opt-in.
How Long I Keep Things
- Email address: kept until you delete your account (you can do this yourself from within the Game once logged in), or until the account has been inactive for a long period and I clean it up.
- Authentication cookies: typically expire after a period of inactivity; you can clear them via your browser at any time.
- Anonymous gameplay analytics and final game states: kept indefinitely as they contain no personal data.
- Gameplay statistics (demos): individual statistic records are deleted automatically after about 400 days; aggregate totals may be kept longer.
- Web server access logs (including IP addresses): deleted automatically after 400 days.
Who I Share Data With
- Hosting providers: The Game runs on cloud infrastructure (currently AWS). They process data on my behalf to keep the service running.
- Amazon SES: Sends the one-time login link emails.
- Buttondown: Handles the newsletter, if you’ve separately signed up for it. Your email address is shared with Buttondown only if you opt in. See Buttondown’s privacy policy .
I do not sell your data. I do not share it with advertisers. I do not share it with anyone unless legally required.
Where Data Is Stored
Data is stored on servers in the UK and/or EU where possible. Some service providers may process data in other jurisdictions; where they do, appropriate safeguards apply.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Access the personal data I hold about you (which is essentially just your email address).
- Have it corrected if it’s wrong.
- Have it deleted — you can do this yourself from within the Game once logged in.
- Object to or restrict its processing.
- Receive it in a portable format.
- Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk ) if you think I’ve handled your data badly.
For anything other than deletion, email me at the address above.
Children
The Game isn’t directed at children under 13. If you’re a parent and believe your child has created an account, contact me and I’ll delete it.
Changes to This Policy
If I change this policy, the “last updated” date at the top will reflect that. Material changes will be communicated via the Game or by email.