Starry Studio clarifies why Once Human’s privacy policy asks for so much data

Starry Studio’s supernatural looter shooter Once Human was released this week to the tune of hundreds of eager fans desperately downloading so they could hop in and start grinding. However, as they worked through the opening screens, some were put off by the game’s incredibly invasive privacy policy.

Fans immediately hopped onto the Once Human subreddit to check with others whether what the privacy policy was asking for was normal because it seems to say it’ll access more information than other privacy policies in similar games usually mention. Some fans attempted to calm things down, but so many were directly asking Once Human‘s social accounts about the document that Starry Studios has had to issue a statement clarifying why it is asking for each user’s permission to process personal data.

Data will only be used under specific circumstances

In a statement on Twitter, the Once Human account posted a lengthy explanation of why the game’s privacy policy asks for permission to access so much data. Among those that users were most concerned about is government ID and social media account information.

However, as you can read above, the privacy policy lists all of the information that Starry Studio might be required to access for any user for a wide array of reasons. For example, a government ID might be required for distributing prizes for in-game competitions, or for verifying a user’s age. Social media account information may be used as part of surveys, but just like government IDs, this information isn’t stored and will be deleted after a set period of time. If you’re concerned, you can read through the Privacy Policy section of the game’s launch FAQ for more information.

Perhaps the most important part of that launch FAQ is this line: “We will only use your data lawfully and reasonably and in accordance with local legal compliance requirements.” This really outlines exactly why the privacy policy asks for so much data. Starry Studios is frontloading you with this document to ask permission to process as much information as possible based on what other similar games have had to process to avoid updating the documentation, requiring multiple checks in many languages in the future.

The other element to these privacy policy concerns is the NetEase Launcher. This is the platform users must download to play Once Human if they download the game directly from Starry Studios’ website. The NetEase Launcher is, in the developer’s opinion, a great platform for both users who play multiple games hosted on it, and for developers running several games who want a single system to distribute them through.

Starry Studios is very clear that you don’t have to download the NetEase Launcher to play Once Human, though. The game is available on Steam as well, so there’s no need to you to use that platform if you’re uncomfortable doing so. There’s no denying that privacy policies like this can be scary, especially if they appear and block a game’s opening cutscene, which I’ve heard reports of in Once Human.

However, in this case, the developer is attempting to be transparent about what personal data it might require in the future instead of acting like a shady megacorporation that steals your data in the background. Questioning the privacy policy is sensible, and thanks to the users who have, we have a satisfying explanation of what this document means in terms anyone can understand, not just lawyers.