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The Final Ascent Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 4, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what information is collected when you play The Final Ascent (the "Game") and when you visit our website at playthefinalascent.com (the "Site"), how it is used, and the choices and rights you have. The Game and Site are operated by Larz Studios ("we," "us," or "our"), based in the United States of America.

The Game is online-connected: it requires an internet connection and communicates with backend services to authenticate you, save your progress, and run features such as leaderboards. Our Site lets you read this policy, contact us, and submit requests such as beta access or content-creator/press inquiries. By using the Game or the Site, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy.

If you have any questions, contact us at playthefinalascent@gmail.com.

1. Information we collect

We aim to collect only what we need to run the Game and operate our website. Specifically:

Account and identification data

  • A platform account identifier provided by Steam (your Steam ID) and an associated backend player ID, used to recognize you and link your saved progress and stats to your account.
  • Your public display name as shown by your platform account, which may appear on public leaderboards within the Game alongside your scores.

Gameplay and progress data

  • Your saved game progress, unlocks, settings, and run history (for example: hero class, deck and equipment used, floor reached, gold, time taken, damage dealt, wins and losses, and similar gameplay statistics).
  • Leaderboard entries (your score and the hero class used to achieve it).

Technical data

  • Limited technical information that is inherent to making network requests, such as your IP address and basic connection/device information, processed by our backend provider to deliver the online service and to help maintain its security and integrity.

Analytics & telemetry

  • Aggregated, pseudonymous gameplay event data, for example how runs end, which builds and cards are used, and where players tend to stop. We use it to understand how the Game is played and to balance and improve it. This data is tied to a pseudonymous identifier, not to your real-world identity.

Information you submit through our website

  • If you contact us or submit a request on our Site (for example, a beta-access request, a content-creator or press key request, or a general contact message), we collect the information you choose to provide, such as your name or handle, email address, platform, the name/URL and rough size of your channel or community, and the contents of your message. We use it only to respond to and manage your request.
  • Our web forms use a spam-protection service that may collect limited device/usage information to distinguish real people from automated bots.

What we do NOT collect

  • We do not collect your real name, email address, or location through the Game itself. (If you choose to contact us or submit a request on our Site, we collect only what you provide there, as described above.)
  • We do not process your payment information. Purchases are handled entirely by Steam/Valve under their own terms and privacy policy.

2. How we use your information

We use the information above to:

  • Authenticate you and load and save your game progress across sessions and devices;
  • Provide online features, including leaderboards;
  • Maintain the security, fairness, and integrity of the Game and its leaderboards (including detecting and preventing cheating or tampering);
  • Diagnose problems and provide support;
  • Respond to your inquiries and process requests you submit on our Site (such as beta-access and content-creator/press key requests); and
  • Understand how the Game is played in aggregate, and balance and improve it.

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

3. Legal bases for processing (EEA/UK users)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR/UK GDPR:

  • Performance of a contract: to provide the online Game and features you request, such as saving progress and participating in leaderboards.
  • Legitimate interests: to keep the Game and its leaderboards secure and fair, to provide support, to respond to and manage requests you submit on our Site (beta, creator/press, contact), and to analyze and improve the Game and Site. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance them against your rights and freedoms.

4. Who processes and receives your information

We use trusted third-party service providers ("processors") to operate the Game and Site. We do not sell your data to anyone.

  • Valve Corporation (Steam): the platform through which the Game is distributed and through which you sign in and make purchases. Your use of Steam is governed by Valve's privacy policy: https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/
  • Microsoft (Azure PlayFab): our backend service provider, which handles authentication, cloud saves, player data, and leaderboards on our behalf. Microsoft's privacy practices are described at: https://privacy.microsoft.com/
  • Google (Firebase): hosts our website and processes our web-form submissions (beta, creator/press, and contact requests) and our pseudonymous gameplay analytics on our behalf. Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
  • Spam-protection service (Google reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha): protects our web forms from automated abuse and may collect limited device/usage information for that purpose.

These providers process data only as needed to deliver their services to us.

5. Public information

Leaderboards are a public feature of the Game. If you submit a score, your display name, score, and associated hero class may be visible to other players. Please keep this in mind when choosing your platform display name.

6. International data transfers

Our service providers may store and process your information in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, these providers maintain appropriate safeguards for such transfers in line with applicable data-protection law.

7. Data retention

We retain your account-linked progress and stats for as long as your account remains associated with the Game, so your progress is available when you return. Leaderboard entries are retained while the relevant leaderboard is active. Requests and messages you submit through our Site are kept only as long as needed to respond to and manage them, then deleted. You may request deletion of your data as described below.

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you;
  • Correct inaccurate data;
  • Delete your data ("right to erasure");
  • Restrict or object to certain processing; and
  • Receive a portable copy of certain data.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at playthefinalascent@gmail.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. We may need to verify your request using your account identifier. Our backend provider supports deletion of player data, so we are able to honor erasure requests.

California residents: You have the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, to request deletion, and not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. We do not sell personal information.

9. Children's privacy

The Game is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us at playthefinalascent@gmail.com and we will take steps to delete it.

10. Security

We and our service providers use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Game after changes take effect constitutes acknowledgment of the updated policy.

12. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact:

Larz Studios Email: playthefinalascent@gmail.com