Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Vertical Slice Research operates a research panel connecting working game developers with studios, publishers, and technology vendors who need developer insight. You can reach us via the contact form at verticalsliceresearch.com/contact.

2. What we collect

• Account data: Your email address, used to create and manage your account and to send you sign-in links and study invitations.
• Profile data: Professional information you provide during onboarding: job title, seniority, years of experience, platforms and engines you work with, studio type, and titles you have shipped. This is used exclusively for matching you to relevant studies.
• Study responses: Answers, feedback, and any materials you submit as part of a study. Interview sessions may be recorded where you have separately consented.
• Usage data: Standard server logs and anonymised analytics (page views, session duration) to help us improve the platform. We do not use third-party advertising trackers.

3. How we use your data

• Matching: We compare your profile against study requirements to decide whether to send you an invitation.
• Communications: We email you sign-in links, study invitations, and essential account notices. You will not receive marketing email unrelated to studies.
• Payments: We use your chosen payment method details (provided at completion) to send incentives. We do not store payment credentials on our servers.
• Platform improvement: Aggregated, anonymised usage data helps us improve matching accuracy and the overall experience.

4. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only as follows:

• Research buyers: Buyers receive only anonymised, aggregated findings. No personally identifiable information is included in deliverables unless you separately provide written consent for named attribution.
• Service providers: We use Supabase (database and authentication infrastructure), Resend (transactional email), and payment processors (PayPal, Visa gift card programmes) as sub-processors. Each is bound by data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

5. Data retention

We retain your account and profile data for as long as your account is active and for up to two years after your last activity. Study response data is retained for the period specified in the relevant study agreement. You may request deletion at any time (see Section 6).

6. Your rights

Depending on your location you have some or all of the following rights. To exercise any of them, use the contact form at verticalsliceresearch.com/contact.

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Ask us to delete your account and associated data. We will do so within 30 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.
• Portability: Receive your profile data in a machine-readable format.
• Objection / opt-out: Opt out of any processing at any time. Opting out of study matching will effectively close your account.

7. Cookies

We use only technically necessary cookies: a session cookie issued by our authentication provider to keep you signed in. We do not use advertising, tracking, or analytics cookies.

8. International transfers

Our infrastructure is hosted in the United States. If you are located in the UK or EU, your data is transferred to the US under standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards.

9. Children

The panel is open to people aged 18 and over only. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.

10. Changes to this policy

We will notify active panelists by email at least 14 days before any material change. The effective date above reflects the most recent revision.