Open world survival shooter Once Human released on July 9 to a storm of interest, and people fighting to find out where to find weapon blue prints, but has faced review backlash due to some data privacy concerns from players. The free-to-play horror-survival sim peaked at close to 200,000 players on steam, but has received “Mixed” review scores due to publisher NetEase’s concerning privacy policy.

The policy in question stated that NetEase was able to and store information including “last name, title, prefix, email address, telephone number, (instant) messaging account, postal address, date of birth, age, gender, country/region, and government-issued ID, such as passport information.” It’s those last few points which are really causing a stir, as players contend that a game shouldn’t need to take details of your ID to let you play them. 

NetEase, who are also the operators of World of Warcraft in China, use a blanket private policy to operate their published games. In China, the use of a government ID as part of a sign-up for games is commonplace, with games such as WoW and League of Legends requiring ID to play in the country.

It seems that Once Human developer Starry Studio doesn’t believe there’s any ill intent behind the data gathering, releasing a statement saying the following:

“Once Human takes our users’ data privacy very seriously. We would only use personal data if we have a legitimate legal basis, such as providing requested services or acting with your expressed consent. We will only use your data lawfully and reasonably and in accordance with local legal compliance requirements, while practicing the data privacy principles such as data minimization, purpose limitation, and transparency.”

However, Starry Studio goes on to state that these NetEase terms of service are tied to the NetEase launcher. The post states that “Players who play the game from Steam or Epic will NOT need to download or use the launcher.”

Starry Studio ended with a positive and hopeful message:  

“We hope this clarifies the above and please rest assured that we will continue to maintain a transparent, player-friendly gaming environment, not only because it’s required by law, but also because it’s the right thing to do.”

However, at the time of writing, Once Human remains with a Mixed review score, and likely will for the foreseeable future. Steam reviews are one of the only ways that players can visibly made their voice heard, and Once Human, despite lots of player support, will have to contend with that.