Rechtlicher Hinweis: Aus Gründen der Rechtssicherheit wird der vollständige Rechtstext unten in der offiziellen englischen Studio-Fassung angezeigt.

1. Introduction

Welcome to Digital Gods. Digital Gods respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, and share personal information when you visit https://digital-gods.dev, create an account, purchase products in our online store, contact us, connect your Steam account, or access our digital reading library.

We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), the Croatian Act on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation, and other applicable European Union and Croatian data protection laws.

2. Data Controller

The controller responsible for personal data processed through this website is:

Digital Gods is an independent game development and creative studio based in Croatia.

3. Information We Collect

We collect only the information reasonably necessary to operate our website and services, fulfil store orders, manage user accounts, verify digital entitlements, and respond to inquiries.

3.1 Website and technical information

When you access our website, our hosting infrastructure processes:

  • IP address and approximate region inferred from it;
  • Browser type, operating system, and user-agent information;
  • Requested pages, URLs, timestamps, and HTTP response status codes;
  • Security events, rate-limiting counters, technical errors, and server logs.

This information supports website operation, security, abuse and DDoS prevention, diagnostics, and technical reliability.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests in maintaining website security and operational stability under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

3.2 Digital Gods accounts

When you register or sign in with an email address on /account/, we process:

  • Display name, username, and verified email address;
  • Securely hashed authentication credentials (passwords are never stored in plain text);
  • Account identifiers, verification tokens, and login/session metadata;
  • Saved billing and shipping addresses (where provided by you);
  • Purchased product entitlements, order history, and Book Reader progress.

Passwords must never be shared with anyone. Digital Gods support will never ask for your password.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR and legitimate interests in account security under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

3.3 Steam authentication and license verification

Our website supports optional authentication through Valve's official Steam OpenID 2.0 service. When you choose Über Steam anmelden:

  • Authentication takes place directly on Valve's official Steam login pages;
  • Digital Gods never receives or stores your Steam password;
  • We receive your verified 64-bit Steam identifier (SteamID64);
  • We retrieve your publicly available Steam persona name and avatar URL;
  • We query Steam Web APIs to verify ownership of eligible games and downloadable content;
  • We store entitlement verification states and related check timestamps in our protected database.

These checks determine access to content associated with The Dark World and The Seven Red Witnesses: verified ownership of The Dark World (Steam AppID 1481060) unlocks the Cover, Impressum, Prologue, and Chapters 1-5 of The Seven Red Witnesses, while ownership of The Seven Red Witnesses DLC (Steam AppID 4825390) unlocks the complete 55-part digital edition.

Legal basis: Performance of a contract under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR and legitimate interests in preventing unauthorized access under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Valve's independent processing of your Steam account information is governed by its own privacy policies.

3.4 Digital reading library

When you use our online reading system, we store:

  • Your account identifier and/or linked SteamID64;
  • Book and edition entitlements (Steam license or direct Digital Gods Store purchase);
  • Current chapter slug, percentage completion, and reading position;
  • Reading progress and associated update timestamps;
  • Information required to synchronize access across sessions.

This allows you to continue reading after signing out, reconnecting, or using another supported device.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.

3.5 Orders and online purchases

When purchasing digital books, collector editions, or merchandise through our store (/shop/), we collect:

  • Customer name and contact details (billing email address and optional phone);
  • Billing address and, where required for physical items, delivery/shipping address;
  • Purchased products, variations, quantities, prices in Euros (EUR), and applicable taxes;
  • Order identifiers, cryptographic order keys, and payment status;
  • Express consent records for immediate delivery of digital content where applicable;
  • Transaction references, refund information, and details necessary for tax invoices and support.

Payments are handled through Stripe (via the official WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway, supporting credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link) and/or other secure payment processors expressly displayed at checkout. The payment provider collects and processes payment instrument details in accordance with its own privacy policy and PCI-DSS standards. Digital Gods never receives or stores your complete payment card number or card security code (CVC/CVV).

For orders containing physical apparel, posters, or merchandise, we transmit only the minimum required fulfilment data (recipient name, shipping address, contact email/telephone for carrier delivery notifications, and ordered product SKU/variation) to our print-on-demand fulfilment partner Printful (Printful Latvia AS, Raina bulvaris 25, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia / Printful, Inc.) so your order can be manufactured, packed, and shipped. Digital-only orders (such as The Seven Red Witnesses - Digital Edition) are fulfilled directly on our server and are never transmitted to Printful.

Legal basis: Performance of a contract under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR and compliance with accounting, taxation, and consumer protection obligations under Article 6(1)(c) GDPR.

3.6 Contact and support requests

If you contact Digital Gods via /contact/ or by email at support@digital-gods.dev, we process the information you provide (name, email address, inquiry category, message, and any referenced order details) to respond, resolve technical or purchase issues, manage withdrawal notices or complaints, and maintain relevant correspondence records.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests, performance of a contract, or compliance with a legal obligation, depending on the inquiry.

3.7 Analytics and website measurement

Where enabled and permitted by your cookie preferences, Digital Gods uses Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymization to understand aggregate website usage and improve navigation, content, and performance. Optional analytics cookies are controlled through our Cookie Consent banner and Cookie Settings interface.
Legal basis: Consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may withdraw your consent at any time through our Cookie-Einstellungen.

3.8 Marketing communications

Digital Gods does not send unsolicited marketing emails. If we offer an optional newsletter in the future, subscribing will be strictly voluntary based on your explicit consent, and you may unsubscribe at any time. We never require marketing consent to purchase a product or access an account.

4. How We Use Personal Information

Personal data is used strictly for the following purposes:

  • Operating, maintaining, and protecting the website;
  • Creating and authenticating user accounts;
  • Linking Steam accounts via OpenID 2.0 and verifying eligible game/DLC licenses;
  • Providing and synchronizing digital Book Reader library access;
  • Processing orders, payments (in EUR), refunds, and deliveries;
  • Meeting accounting, tax, and statutory legal obligations;
  • Responding to support requests, withdrawal notices, and consumer complaints;
  • Improving site navigation and performance where permitted by your cookie consent;
  • Detecting misuse, fraud, and unauthorized access.

We do not sell personal data to advertisers or data brokers.

5. Service Providers and Data Sharing

We share necessary personal data only with trusted service providers where required to deliver our services:

  • Website hosting and infrastructure providers: For secure server hosting and network protection;
  • Stripe (Stripe Payments Europe, Limited / Stripe, Inc.): For secure order payment processing and fraud prevention;
  • Printful (Printful Latvia AS, Raina bulvaris 25, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia / Printful, Inc.) and shipping carriers: Acting as our print-on-demand data processor for manufacturing, printing, packing, and shipping physical merchandise, apparel, and poster orders to your delivery address (receiving only recipient delivery details and ordered item specifications);
  • Valve Corporation (Steam): For optional Steam OpenID sign-in and license verification;
  • Google Analytics: For aggregate analytics measurement where consented to;
  • Email delivery infrastructure and professional advisers/authorities: Where required for transactional emails or statutory compliance.

WordPress and WooCommerce run within our own hosted server environment. We share only the minimum information appropriate to each service and apply data processing agreements and safeguards where required.

6. International Data Transfers

Some third-party service providers (such as Valve Corporation, Stripe, Printful, or Google) may process data outside Croatia or the European Economic Area (EEA). Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure an appropriate legal transfer mechanism under Chapter V GDPR applies, such as an adequacy decision by the European Commission (including the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework where certified) or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). Details may be requested via support@digital-gods.dev.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Digital Gods uses cookies and browser local storage to support essential website functionality, authentication, shopping carts, Book Reader preferences, and optional analytics. Please read our Cookie-Richtlinie for our full Cookie Inventory, retention periods, and preference controls.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for its specified purpose or to comply with legal requirements:

  • Security and technical logs: Up to 90 days for standard server and security logs, unless a longer period is required to investigate a security incident.
  • Active account information: For the duration of the active account relationship until account deletion is requested.
  • Reading progress and entitlement data: While needed to provide the online Book Reader service and until account deletion, subject to statutory invoice retention.
  • Steam entitlement cache: Cached for 15 minutes during active license verification checks, and stored with your linked profile until you click Steam trennen on your Account page or delete your account.
  • Support correspondence & complaints: Up to 24 months after resolution of the inquiry, unless a longer period is required for a dispute or statutory consumer obligation.
  • Order, payment, and tax invoice records: 11 years in accordance with mandatory Croatian accounting and tax laws (Croatian Accounting Act and General Tax Act).
  • Analytics information: Up to 14 months in Google Analytics 4 (where analytics consent was granted).
  • Cookie preferences (dg_cookie_consent): 180 days (6 months).

When information is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under the GDPR and applicable law, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data (Article 15 GDPR);
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete information (Article 16 GDPR);
  • Request erasure of your personal data where no overriding statutory retention obligation applies (Article 17 GDPR);
  • Restrict certain processing activities (Article 18 GDPR);
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests (Article 21 GDPR);
  • Request data portability (Article 20 GDPR);
  • Withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing (Article 7(3) GDPR);
  • Lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority (Article 77 GDPR).

You may submit any privacy or data rights request to support@digital-gods.dev. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

You may also contact the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency (AZOP - Agencija za zastitu osobnih podataka): https://azop.hr (Ulica grada Vukovara 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia).

10. Account Deletion and Steam Disconnection

You can manage your Steam connection directly through your Account & Licenses page. Disconnecting Steam immediately removes the SteamID64 link and cached entitlement data associated with that connection. It does not delete your Steam account or modify ownership of products on Steam.

To request complete deletion of your Digital Gods account and personal data, contact support@digital-gods.dev. Please note that deletion requests do not override mandatory tax, accounting, or dispute-resolution retention duties for past store invoices.

11. Data Security

We use technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, alteration, and misuse, including strict HTTPS/TLS encryption (HSTS), cryptographic nonces, HttpOnly and SameSite session protections, role-based access controls, and server-side security protections. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us promptly at support@digital-gods.dev.

12. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website contains links to Steam, Epic Games, YouTube, SoundCloud, and social media services. These third parties operate independently under their own privacy policies and data practices.

13. Children's Privacy

Digital Gods does not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children under 16 contrary to applicable law. Where parental or guardian authorization is required for an account, purchase, or service, that authorization must be obtained. If you believe personal data has been collected in violation of applicable children's privacy requirements, contact support@digital-gods.dev so we can promptly address the situation.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, technical infrastructure, applicable law, or data processing practices. The revision date at the top of this page identifies the latest version.

15. Contact

For privacy inquiries, data rights requests, or concerns: