Gladiator Gauntlet is an independent browser-based multiplayer game. It is a personal project, not a company or corporation, built and operated by a solo developer. When this policy says "we" or "us", it means the individual running this game, not an organisation with a legal department.

The game is accessible at its hosted domain and is free to play. There is no subscription, no in-app purchase system, and no monetisation beyond potential future display advertising. The only reason we collect any data at all is so that your gladiator name, win record, gold, and cosmetics persist between sessions. Without that, the game would reset every time you close the tab.

We collect the minimum amount of information needed to make the game work across sessions. Everything listed below is stored in Firebase, a Google Cloud service, and is tied to your account.

We want to be equally explicit about what we do not collect, because privacy policies that only list what they do gather often obscure the full picture.

All game data is stored in Firebase Realtime Database, a cloud database service operated by Google. Your profile (name, stats, gold, and owned cosmetics) lives in that database as long as your account exists. Firebase handles the security, redundancy, and availability of that data on Google Cloud infrastructure.

Firebase Authentication manages your login session. When you sign in with Google, Firebase issues you a secure session token stored in your browser's local storage. This token is used to authenticate your database requests, confirming you are who you say you are before reading or writing your profile data. Tokens expire and are refreshed automatically. We do not manage session tokens manually.

Database security rules are configured so that each player can only read and write their own profile data. No player can read another player's private data, and no player can modify another player's record. The only shared data that all players can read is the leaderboard (win counts and gladiator names), room state during an active match, and your displayed name and cosmetics within the game, all of which are inherently public-facing features of a multiplayer game.

Every piece of data we collect is used for exactly one purpose: making the game work the way it is supposed to. Below is a specific account of how each category of data is used.

Your anonymous user ID is used to locate your profile in the database when you load the game. Without it, we have no way to know which gladiator record belongs to your browser. Your Google account information, if provided, is used to link your anonymous ID to a persistent identity so your progress survives clearing browser data or switching devices. Neither is used for marketing, profiling, or any purpose outside of session management.

Your gladiator name and statistics are used to populate your stats screen, display your record on the leaderboard, calculate your leaderboard rank, and determine your XP level and shop unlock eligibility. Your match history is used to identify your nemesis and to show you a record of recent fights. Your nemesis map is used solely to compute and display the nemesis stat on your profile; it is not analysed, exported, or used for any other purpose.

Your cosmetic preferences are used to render your name correctly in the leaderboard, in battle, and in the victory screen. When you are in an active match, your opponent sees your displayed name and active cosmetics because those are visible parts of the game, and your colour, symbol, and border appear next to your name in the shared battle view.

Your gold balance is used to track what you can afford in the shop and to administer daily champion stipends. It is stored server-side so it cannot be manipulated by editing local data in the browser.

We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with third parties for commercial purposes. We do not provide your data to advertisers, data brokers, research organisations, or any other external party.

The only third-party services that touch your data in any way are the infrastructure providers that run the game itself. Google Firebase stores and syncs your game data. As the database provider, Google processes your data on our behalf in accordance with their terms of service. Google Fonts serves the typefaces used across the game's pages; this involves your browser making a request to Google's font CDN, which may log your IP address as part of standard server logging. We have no control over or access to that log data.

Beyond those two, no other third-party service receives any data about you. Your email address, if provided through Google sign-in, never leaves Firebase; we do not pass it to any mailing list, CRM, or communication platform.

In the unlikely event that we were ever legally required to disclose data (by a court order or similar legal process), we would comply with applicable law. In practice, the data we hold is a gladiator name and a win/loss record, which is unlikely to be of interest to anyone outside the game.

Gladiator Gauntlet does not currently display advertisements. The game is free to play with no ads at launch.

In the future, we may apply to serve display ads through Google AdSense to help cover hosting costs. If and when that happens, this section will be updated before any ads go live. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests, based on your browsing activity across sites that use Google's advertising network. That means Google, not us, would be making decisions about what ads to show you, based on their own data about your browsing history.

If AdSense is ever enabled, you will have the option to opt out of personalised advertising through Google's Ad Settings. Opting out means you may still see ads, but they will not be tailored to your interests. You can also use the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out tool for broader control across participating ad networks.

You have meaningful control over the data associated with your gladiator account. Below is a clear account of what you can do and how.

Access your data. Everything we store about you is visible within the game itself. Your stats screen shows your full record, match history, and profile details. There is no hidden data we hold that isn't reflected somewhere in the interface.

Correct your data. Your gladiator name can be changed at any time using the Name Change item in the Armory Shop. If you believe there is an error in your win/loss record or other profile data caused by a technical fault (not a lost match), contact us and we will investigate.

Delete your data. You can request full deletion of your gladiator profile at any time by contacting us at the email address at the bottom of this page. Upon a valid request, we will remove your profile record from Firebase, including your name, stats, gold, match history, and cosmetic data. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. If you signed in with Google, deleting your game profile does not delete your Google account; those are separate systems.

Portability. If you want a copy of the data we hold about you, contact us and we will provide it in a readable format. Given the nature of the data (a gladiator name and some numbers), there is not much to export, but you are entitled to it.

Depending on where you are located, you may have additional rights under applicable privacy law, such as the GDPR in Europe or the CCPA in California. We honour those rights regardless of where the request comes from. If you believe your rights have not been respected, you can contact us directly or file a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

Gladiator Gauntlet is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age. The game involves simulated combat and competitive ranking, and is intended for a general adult audience.

We have no age verification mechanism in place. The game is openly accessible in a browser without a sign-up wall. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child under 13 has created a gladiator profile and provided personal information (such as a real name or a linked Google account belonging to a child), please contact us at the email address below. We will delete that account and its associated data promptly upon a verified request.

If you are between 13 and 18, we encourage you to review this policy with a parent or guardian before playing, particularly if you choose to sign in with a Google account.

This policy will be updated if anything changes about how we collect, use, or store data. The most common reason for an update would be the introduction of advertising (which we have committed to announcing here before it goes live) or a change in the underlying infrastructure (such as migrating to a different database provider).

When this policy changes, the "last updated" date at the top of the page will be revised. If the change is significant, particularly anything that expands what data we collect or how we use it, we will make a reasonable effort to notify active players through an in-game announcement banner. Continued use of the game after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

Minor changes, such as clarifying existing language, correcting typos, or adding detail about practices that were already in place, will be made without a specific notification beyond updating the date. The full history of this document is not published, but if you have questions about what changed between versions, feel free to contact us.

If you have questions about this privacy policy, want to request access to or deletion of your data, or have a concern about how your information has been handled, please reach out directly. We are a solo project and will respond personally, not through an automated support ticket system.

Email: [email protected]

Please include "Privacy" in the subject line so the message is easy to identify. For data deletion requests, include the gladiator name associated with your account so we can locate the correct record. We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 14 days.