Privacy Policy
This policy covers the games, apps, and websites made by Matlock Ghost Emporium (“MGE”, “we”) — including MGE Ghost Hunter and anything else we publish under mgegames.com (together, our “services”). We are the data controller and can be reached at hello@matlockghostemporium.com (Matlock Ghost Emporium, Bonsall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom).
What we collect
- Account details. Where a service offers accounts: your email address and chosen display name, used to sign you in and keep your progress and purchases. Authentication is provided by Google Firebase.
- Game activity. Progress in our games — for example which experiences you've bought access to, completion times, and session state shared with teammates you play with. Where a game has leaderboards, the name you chose and your results may be visible to other players.
- Purchase records. Payments in our services are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your card details; we receive confirmation of what you bought, when, and for how much, which we keep for accounting and to grant what you paid for.
- Support correspondence. Emails you send us.
Device features some games use (but do not keep)
Some of our games use device features to power gameplay. A feature is only used where that game needs it, only with your permission (asked in-app the first time), and can be declined or revoked in your device settings — related gameplay may simply be unavailable without it.
- Location. Our location-based games read your GPS position and compass while the game is open, purely to drive gameplay. Position is processed on your device as you play; we do not build or store location trails on our servers, and location is never read in the background.
- Microphone. Some challenges respond to sound (for example blowing into the microphone). Loudness is analysed on your device in real time; audio is never recorded, stored, or transmitted.
- Motion sensors. Some challenges respond to moving or shaking your phone. Sensor readings are processed on-device only.
Who processes data for us
- Google Firebase — sign-in, database, and hosting. Our databases are located in London (europe-west2).
- Stripe — payment processing, under Stripe's own privacy policy.
- Map providers — games that show maps fetch imagery from map services (currently Stadia Maps), which receive your IP address with each map request, as any web service does.
We do not sell your data, run third-party advertising, or use third-party analytics.
Legal bases and retention
We process your data to provide the services you've asked for (performance of a contract), to keep our games fair and secure (legitimate interests), and with your consent where the law requires it (device permissions). Your account and game history are kept while your account exists; purchase records are kept as long as tax law requires. Content cached on your device for offline play stays on your device and can be removed in the relevant app's settings.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, object to or restrict processing, and ask for it in a portable format. Email hello@matlockghostemporium.com and we'll act on it promptly. Deleting an account removes your profile and any remaining entitlements. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
Children
Our games are designed for families playing together under adult supervision. Accounts should be created by an adult; we don't knowingly collect personal data directly from children under 13.
Changes
If we change this policy — for example when new services or features ship — we'll update this page and the date above, and flag significant changes in the relevant app.