DOVETAIL GAMES PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: 21st February 2022

Please read this Privacy Policy, our Terms and Conditions, End User Licence Agreement, Cookies Policy and Acceptable Use Policy before using our games and services.

Who we are

We are RailSimulator.com Limited (trading as Dovetail Games), a company registered in England and Wales whose registered office is 3rd Floor, Fitted Rigging House, Anchor Wharf, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham ME4 4TZ. We are an award-winning games development and publishing studio.

Please read this policy carefully and if you need to contact us about anything that is in here, or for anything else related to your personal information, you can reach us by email at: dataprotectionofficer@dovetailgames.com.

About this policy

This privacy policy explains how and why we use personal data (also known as personal information, personally identifiable information or PII) for the purposes of providing, promoting and developing our games and services. In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Privacy Policy and any third-party Privacy Policy, the terms and provisions of our Privacy Policy shall prevail.

This policy also provides contact details and important information about your data protection rights.

What personal data do we collect?

Players

We collect personal data directly from players via registration and gameplay. If you link your account to or access it via a third-party service (for example, Facebook, Xbox Live, Steam, Switch, PlayStation@4 system, Playstation@5 console and Playstation™Network) we collect personal data from that service. The personal data we collect and generate relating to players includes:

User name and account details

User date of birth

User email address

User gender and profile photo

Game profile (including basic details, game progress and usage)

Game profile ID (a randomly generated identifier)

Analytics ID (used to track game usage)

Third party account ID (if you link your account to or access it via a service such as Facebook, Xbox, Steam, Switch or PlayStation®4 system, Playstation®5 console and PlayStation™Network)

Device information (including ID, type, time zone settings and location, IP address)

Marketing and communications data (including preferences)

Website users

This Privacy Policy applies to all the websites we own and/or operate (our websites) which includes, but is not limited to:

The information we collect from individuals that visit our websites includes:

IP address

Device information (including ID, type, browser type and version, plugins, operating system and platform, time zone setting and location, IP address)

Website usage

Personal data entered into webforms

Purchase and order history

Marketing and communications data (including preferences)

Cookie data (please see cookies section below)

People we work with

We collect personal data directly from individuals we work with. We collect personal data from their employers or the organisations they represent. We also collect personal data relating to people we work with from other organisations we work with (for example, industry conferences, gaming media, social media, platforms and stores).

The personal data we collect relating to people we work with includes:

Name

Address

Contact details (including telephone and email)

Social media

Professional employment details

Personal data in correspondence

How we use your personal data

Players

We mainly use personal data relating to players to provide, develop and promote our games and wider business. More specifically, we use personal data relating to players to:

Improve our games (including by providing personalised content, language, help and instructions)

Allow players to participate in certain website features

Account verification and clearance

Direct marketing to let players know about relevant products and services

Provide customer service assistance

Administer surveys and opinion polls

Manage alpha, beta or early access tests (including collecting feedback)

Administer promotions for products, services, news and events

Better understand how our games are used (including checking traffic patterns and what types of content are most popular)

Receive and respond to correspondence

Detect and address hacking, cheating and other activities that harm the experience of our games

Display in-game profiles

Engage with players on third-party social networks (please check the privacy notices of social networks)

Display leader boards, nicknames and any clan/guild information

Detect and address security risks

Detect fraud and other unlawful activity

Exercise legal rights and comply with legal obligations

Website users

We use personal data relating to users of our websites mainly to provide, develop and promote our websites, games and wider business. More specifically, we use personal data relating to website users to:

Provide customer service assistance

Better understand how our websites are used (including checking traffic patterns and what types of content are most popular)

Website analytics and improvements

Detect and address security risks

Detect fraud and other unlawful activity

Exercise legal rights and comply with legal obligations

People we work with

We use personal data relating to people we work with mainly to provide, develop and promote our games and wider business. More specifically, we use personal data relating to people we work with to:

Manage services provided by our suppliers

Arrange meetings, calls and events

Manage business and professional relationships

Exercise legal rights and comply with legal obligations

Our legal grounds to use personal data

Players

Contract

Our main legal ground for the use of personal data relating to a player is for the performance of our contract with them under a game's terms of use.

Legitimate interests

We will also use personal data relating to players where necessary for the purpose of legitimate interests pursued by us and organisations we work with.

However, we will only use personal data relating to players for the purposes of legitimate interests where players' interests, rights and freedoms do not override our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of the organisations we work with.

Our legitimate interests include for the purpose of providing, developing and promoting our games and our wider business.

Consent

Our legal ground for sending players users direct marketing is consent. Consent for direct marketing may be withdrawn at any time.

Website users

Legitimate interests

We use personal data relating to website users where necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us. Our legitimate interests include for the purpose of providing, developing and promoting our games and wider business.

We will only use personal data relating to website users for the purposes of legitimate interests where website users' interests, rights and freedoms do not override our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of the organisations we work with.

Consent

Our legal ground for sending website users direct marketing is consent. Our legal ground for non-essential cookies is consent. Consent for direct marketing or non-essential cookies may be withdrawn at any time.

People we work with

Contract

Where we have a contract in place with the people we work with, our legal ground for the use of personal data relating to such a person is for the performance of such contract.

Legitimate interests

We use personal data relating to people we work with where necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us. Our legitimate interests include for the purpose of providing, developing and promoting our games and wider business.

We will only use personal data relating to the people we work with for the purposes of legitimate interests where their interests, rights and freedoms do not override our legitimate interests.

Automated decision-making

We do not make any legally significant decisions about individuals based solely on automated decision making.

Sharing your information

Players

We share personal data relating to players with other players, our staff and the following types of service providers:

Platforms

Distributors of our games

Payment processors

Marketing partners

Analytics service providers (see cookies section below)

IT providers

Group companies

Business partners

Professional service providers (for example accountants and lawyers)

Website users

We share personal data relating to website users with our staff and the following types of service providers:

Analytics service providers (see cookies section below)

Payment processors

IT providers

Marketing patterns

Group companies

Professional service providers (for example accountants and lawyers)

People we work with

We share personal data with our staff and the following types of service providers:

Online stores

Payment processors

IT providers

Marketing partners

Group companies

Sister studios

Business partners

Professional service providers (for example accountants and lawyers)

We will share personal data with potential buyers, group companies and/or business partners where necessary for a reorganisation, restructuring, merger, sale or transfer of assets involving Dovetail Games or our games.

We will share personal data where necessary to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights. We will also share personal data where required by the courts, regulators or law.

International transfers

We routinely transfer personal data outside of the UK. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK to a country that has not been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection we use the standard contractual clauses unless we have identified another appropriate safeguard or relevant exemption.

Rights

Everyone has the right to:

Information about how we use personal data (which is what this notice is for)

Access to personal data

Erasure of personal data

Portability of personal data

Withdraw consent where our use of personal data is based on consent

Rectification of personal data

Restriction of personal data

Complain to your supervisory authority

Please be aware that these rights are not absolute and there may be some situations in which they cannot be exercised or are not relevant. The Information Commissioner's Office provides more information about data protection rights at the following URL: www.ico.org.uk

You will not be treated differently or discriminated against for exercising any of your rights.

Marketing

If you are one of our customers or have otherwise agreed to be contacted for marketing purposes we may use your personal information to send you information about us and our services. You can unsubscribe from receiving them at any time and details of how to unsubscribe will be included in any marketing communications we send you. You also have the option of "unsubscribing" from our mailing list at any time thereby disabling any further such e-mail or other communication from being sent to you by emailing dataprotectionofficer@dovetailgames.com.

We will action any opt out request from you as soon as we can.

Data retention

Players

We keep personal data relating to players for the period that the game is available to play. Once we make a game unavailable, we will delete all personal data relating to players of that game. We will also delete personal data relating to a player when we receive a specific request for erasure (see rights section above).

Website users

We keep personal data relating to websites for as long as necessary for our games or wider business purposes.

People we work with

We keep personal data relating to websites for as long as necessary for our games or wider business purposes.

If you do not provide personal data

Where we need personal data for an agreement with you and you do not provide personal data, we may not be able to perform the agreement. In this case, we may have to cancel your access to our games.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. Such measures will be appropriate to the nature of the data concerned and the level of risk. If you have been provided with a password to access any of our services you should not share that password with anyone else.

Links to Other Sites

Our websites may contain links to other sites, including via our social media buttons. While we try to link only to websites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices employed by other websites and a link does not constitute an endorsement of that website. Once you link to another website from our website you are subject to the terms and conditions of that website, including, but not limited to, its internet privacy policy and practices. Please check these policies before you submit any data to these websites.

Complaints

Questions, comments and requests regarding this policy are welcomed and should be addressed to dataprotectionofficer@dovetailgames.com.

If you have any concerns about our use of your information, you also have the right (as a UK resident) to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, which regulates and supervises the use of personal data in the UK, via their helpline on 0303 123 1113. For non-UK based complaints, please make a complaint to your national Data Protection Authority (DPA).

Cookies and similar technologies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site.

Essential cookies

Our websites will not work properly without essential cookies. For example, we use cookies for security purposes.

Analytics cookies

We use Google Analytics to learn about how people use our website. For example, which pages uses visit most often and where users encounter error messages.

For information on what cookies we use and for what purpose, and how to opt out of cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.

Children

We do not knowingly collect or use any personal data relating to children under the age of 13.

Changes to this policy

Any changes we make to our policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our policy.