KSP Analytics and Terms Clarity

[UomoCapra]

Over the last couple of months, many of you have been asking questions about privacy, the EULA, and how Take-Two (T2) collects personal data and other information from KSP players. We hope this update provides some clarity for the community.

Kerbal Space Program runs on the Unity engine and uses Unity Analytics on PC. Unity Analytics collects gameplay data and certain personal data from players (IP address and device ID). The collected gameplay data includes data on modes, missions, and other usage stats that help us figure out where we can improve the gameplay experience, decide what sort of content to include, and make changes for future updates. For example, we might rebalance missions if we see a low completion rate and think it is too difficult. We learned that players weren’t playing many community-created Mission Builder missions, so we added mission sharing via the Steam Workshop. The personal data collected by Unity is anonymized before the gameplay data is sent to T2.

Unity Analytics directly collects some personal data on KSP, which you can read about here. We are releasing a version 1.4.5 update that, among other updates to the game, allows players to opt-out of Unity’s collection of personal data. The opt-out tool will be displayed at the main menu during the first time you play 1.4.5 and can be displayed again using a toggle in the settings menu. KSP: Enhanced Edition on console does not currently use Unity Analytics.

For a period of time, T2 used Red Shell in KSP to analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. To do this, Red Shell collected IP addresses, device ID, and an in-game user ID to help T2 understand whether or where a KSP player saw an online ad for KSP. The personal data Red Shell collected was one-way hashed before sending the aggregated campaign analysis to T2 (you can find out more from Red Shell here). The Red Shell SDK was implemented in version 1.4 of KSP and, based on community feedback, removed in version 1.4.4. T2 instructed Red Shell to destroy all KSP data Red Shell has collected. Even if you are using a KSP version that still contains Red Shell, no data is being captured by Red Shell’s servers.

As some of you have correctly pointed out, KSP’s EULA is a blanket EULA for all T2 games. After T2 acquired KSP, T2 transitioned KSP to T2’s standard terms including its EULA, privacy policy and terms of service. T2’s EULA applies to its broad portfolio of games, covering various genres, platforms, and business models. At this time, T2 continues to collect only limited personal data for KSP—limited to the personal data that players provide directly through purchases from the KSP store and through signing up for the KSP forums and wiki. This is standard practice whenever you make an online store purchase or join an online forum.

We hope the above information provides some clarity about personal data and KSP. The KSP community is the reason why the game is as popular as it is today, and we strive to continue supporting you.