Privacy Policy

Overview

WhatALaunch provides analytics and community features around game launches. This policy explains what information is processed when you use the site.

Information we collect

Public game data

We use publicly available game information and metrics to power rankings, launch scores, charts, and game pages. This data comes from public sources such as Steam.

Discord sign-in

When you sign in with Discord, we store your Discord username, avatar, and optional email so we can associate your launch prediction votes and games you choose to watch with your account. We also store when you last opened your following feed so we can show "since last visit" updates. You can sign out at any time.

Launch prediction votes

Launch prediction votes (success or struggle) are stored and linked to your account when you are signed in. If you vote without signing in, we store one vote per browser using a random id in local storage and a matching technical cookie so the same computer cannot vote again; other devices on your network can still vote separately.

Contact form

If you use Contact Us, we process the details you send (name, email, message) so we can reply. These are delivered via an email service.

Cookies and technical data

We use cookies for sign-in (to keep you logged in) and briefly during the Discord login flow. Like most websites, we also process limited request data (such as IP address) for security, rate limiting, and abuse prevention.

On your first visits we show a short notice at the bottom of the screen. If you choose "OK, understood", we store that in your browser only (localStorage key wal_cookie_notice_v1) so we do not keep asking every time. Clearing site data for this site removes that preference and the notice will show again.

Third-party services

We rely on external services to run the site. Discord handles sign-in when you choose to log in. We do not run third-party advertising networks (such as ad exchanges or retargeting pixels) on this site. Contact form messages are delivered through an email service. We fetch public game and stream data from Steam and Twitch to display on the site. Donations (Buy Me a Coffee, Bitcoin) go to those external services—we do not handle or store payment details.

How we use information

• Display game analytics, community votes, and updates for games you watch.
• Respond to contact form inquiries.
• Keep you signed in and associate your activity with your account.
• Maintain security, prevent abuse, and enforce rate limits.

We do not sell your personal information.

Retention

We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above, or as required by law.

Your choices

• Sign out anytime via the profile menu. Clearing cookies will also log you out.
• Contact us to request deletion of your account, votes, or your watched games list.
• Contact us for privacy questions or to request deletion of contact form messages you submitted.
• Blocking or clearing cookies may prevent sign-in and some features from working.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top will change when we do.

Contact

Questions about privacy: use the Contact Us link in the site footer.