Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, a dark fantasy action RPG from Primal Game Studio, launched on April 17, 2025, to both praise and backlash. While critics applauded its soulslike combat, branching story, and eerie art style, boasting 40+ hours of gameplay on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, controversy quickly followed. Players raised alarms over its privacy policy and End User License Agreement (EULA).
The controversy started when Steam players called out the game’s privacy policy as overly intrusive. While the policy included standard data collection like crash reports and system specs, the problem was its broad wording. It used a generic legal agreement designed for multiplayer games and websites, something that didn’t fit Mandragora’s singleplayer experience.
This sparked backlash on social media, with users claiming the terms could allow personal data to be sold. One post warned players to avoid the game until changes were made. On Steam forums, many questioned why a singleplayer RPG needed such extensive data collection. The confusion grew when players mixed up the standard Steam EULA with the privacy policy, mistakenly thinking both were related to data sharing.
Controversy grew as Mandragora received mixed Steam reviews (64% positive from 1,058 reviews), with some players citing the privacy policy as a dealbreaker. This was a tough blow for a game that had built hype through Kickstarter and well-received demos. Knights Peak Interactive and Primal Game Studio quickly addressed concerns. They clarified:
- No personal data was collected if players opted out.
- The privacy policy was optional, players could decline it at launch without losing access.
- Those who already accepted it could opt out by deleting saves (with an in-game option coming later).
- Unrelated legal docs were removed to avoid confusion.
With patch 1.2.7, released soon after launch, the developers removed all telemetry and data collection from the game, ensuring a fully offline experience. In a Steam Community post, Knights Peak explained the change, addressing player concerns about privacy. They also offered a way for players to request data deletion by contacting their data protection officer.
Afterwards, some players on Steam praised the quick fix, saying the removal of data collection restored their trust in the game. Others remained skeptical, arguing that better communication could have prevented the issue entirely. The controversy underscored a growing concern in gaming: players are more wary of data collection, especially in singleplayer games where it feels unnecessary.
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