TheHardWay

Privacy Policy

For Hallucination Inc. Last updated: 2026-10-21 Wersja polska

Effective date: October 21, 2026

In short

Hallucination Inc. works without an account. Your game progress is stored only on your iPhone. The game has optional Google AdMob ads (you only watch one when you choose an ad reward) and Google Analytics for Firebase, which helps us tune the gameplay. We ask for your consent to personalized ads, tracking and analytics, and you can change your choices at any time in the game’s settings.

1. Who we are

Hallucination Inc. (“the Game”) is published by Damian Wiśniewski, a sole trader operating as Uniso Damian Wiśniewski (brand: TheHardWay Studio), Polish tax ID (NIP) 7772903993, thehardway.pl (“we”, “us”, “the Developer”).

We are the data controller for analytics (Section 5) and for the messages you send us (Section 8). The providers described in Sections 4, 6 and 7 (Google, Apple) process some data as independent controllers under their own privacy policies.

2. What we don’t do

The Game does not:

  • require or let you create an account in the Game,
  • send your game progress to our servers (there is no backend),
  • ask for your name, e-mail address, contacts, photos, microphone or precise location,
  • show forced ads: an ad only starts after you tap a reward button,
  • sell data to anyone.

3. Data stored on your iPhone

The Game stores your game state (company, machines, upgrades, Reputation, exit history, career time), your settings and which upgrades you bought locally, in the Game’s container on your device. It never reaches us. The Game doesn’t sync progress through iCloud, so deleting the Game also deletes your progress (Section 10).

4. Ads: Google AdMob

The Game shows rewarded video ads (for example doubling your offline earnings or a marketing campaign) served by Google AdMob (Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC). An ad only starts when you choose it.

What Google collects: your IP address and approximate location derived from it, device and app information (model, OS version, language, Game version), ad impression and interaction data, diagnostics (crashes and performance of the ads library) and, only if you allow it, your device’s advertising identifier (IDFA).

Consent:

  • Google consent form. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, after the tutorial we show Google’s consent form (based on the IAB TCF standard), where you choose whether Google and its partners may store information on your device and personalize ads. If you decline, Google may show non-personalized or limited ads that don’t use a user profile.
  • App Tracking Transparency. After your first exit, the Game explains what the advertising identifier is for, then iOS asks whether you allow tracking. Without your permission neither the Game nor Google receives the IDFA.

Legal basis: consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) for personalized ads, storing information on your device and the IDFA; for non-personalized ads and fraud prevention, our legitimate interest in funding the Game with optional ads (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Google processes this data as an independent controller. Learn more: Google Privacy Policy and How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.

5. Analytics: Google Analytics for Firebase

To learn where players get stuck, how long a run to an exit takes and which ad rewards make sense, we use Google Analytics for Firebase (Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC).

What data: a random app instance identifier (it doesn’t identify you by name), gameplay events (session start, tutorial steps, exits with run time and Reputation, upgrade purchases, milestones reached, ads watched and their placement, in-game purchases without payment details), device information (model, OS version, language, Game version) and your country or region derived from your IP address. We don’t send your name, e-mail or any content from your device.

Consent: in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland analytics only runs if you consent to it in the consent form (Section 4). Without consent the Game sends no analytics events. In other countries analytics is on, and you can turn it off in the Game’s settings.

Legal basis: consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), and outside the regions where consent is required, our legitimate interest in improving the Game (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Retention: event data is kept for up to 14 months and then deleted automatically. Our Firebase project is linked to AdMob so that we can see which ad placements work; this only happens within the consents you gave. For analytics, Google acts as our processor.

6. Game Center

Achievements and leaderboards (such as “Time to AGI”) work through Apple Game Center if you’re signed in. Apple gives the Game your player identifier and nickname, and the Game sends your achievements and scores to Game Center. Other players may see your scores, depending on your Game Center settings. You manage sign-in and profile visibility in iOS Settings → Game Center. Legal basis: performance of the contract, i.e. providing the Game features you ask for (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

7. In-game purchases and other Apple services

Purchases are handled by Apple through the App Store. We don’t receive your name, e-mail address or payment details; the Game only learns from Apple which upgrade was bought and remembers it locally.

If you agreed in iOS settings to share analytics with app developers, Apple may send us anonymized crash reports. You can change this in Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements. Apple services are governed by the Apple Privacy Policy.

8. Contacting us (support)

If you e-mail us, we process your e-mail address, the content of your message and any information you include (for example your iOS version or a screenshot) to reply and solve the problem.

  • Legal basis: our legitimate interest in replying (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and, for complaints, our legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).
  • Retention: until the matter is closed, then for the limitation period of possible claims.
  • Recipients: the e-mail provider we use, acting on our behalf.

Under the GDPR you have the right to access, rectify and erase your data, to restrict processing, to data portability, to object, and to withdraw consent at any time (without affecting processing carried out before the withdrawal).

What you want to doHow
Change or withdraw consent for ads and analyticsIn the Game: Settings → Privacy → Privacy options.
Withdraw permission to track (IDFA)iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
Turn off analytics outside the EEAIn the Game: Settings → Privacy.
Delete data from your deviceDelete the Game (Section 10).

Analytics data is tied to a random installation identifier, not to you as a person, so without that identifier we can’t find a specific player’s data. For your other rights, write to contact@thehardway.pl; for data that Google and Apple process as independent controllers, you can also contact them directly. You can also lodge a complaint with the Polish supervisory authority, the President of the Personal Data Protection Office (ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warsaw, Poland, uodo.gov.pl), or with the authority in your country.

10. How to delete your data

Deleting the Game from your iPhone removes the progress and settings stored on the device and stops ad and analytics data collection. After reinstalling, the Game gets a new instance identifier. Earlier analytics data expires after the retention period (Section 5). Purchased upgrades are tied to your Apple ID and can be restored in the Game’s settings.

11. Children

The Game is rated 13+ and is not directed at children. If you are under 16 (or under the age at which you can consent to online services on your own in your country), only a parent or guardian can consent to personalized ads, tracking and analytics; without that, please decline. We don’t knowingly collect data from children under 13.

12. Transfers outside the EEA

Google and Apple may also process data in the United States and other countries outside the European Economic Area. Such transfers rely on the European Commission’s decision on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, in which these companies participate, and on the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the Commission.

13. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we’ll update the date at the top of this page. We’ll announce significant changes (such as a new ads or analytics provider) in the Game’s App Store release notes and, where the change requires it, ask for your consent again. The current version is always available at this address.

14. Contact

We reply to privacy questions within 30 days. If the Polish and English versions of this policy differ, the Polish version prevails.

Back to Hallucination Inc. Website privacy policy (in Polish)