Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree Drew Player Criticism Over Strange Privacy Policy

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Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, a dark fantasy action RPG from Primal Game Studio, was released on April 17, 2025, to both praise and criticism. While critics lauded its soulslike combat system, branching narrative, and eerie art style, offering over 40 hours of gameplay on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, controversy quickly followed. Players expressed concern over the game’s Privacy Policy and End-User License Agreement (EULA).

The controversy began when players on Steam called out the game’s privacy policy for being excessively intrusive. Although the policy included standard data collection like crash reports and system specifications, the problem lay in its vague and broad wording. It used a generic legal document intended for multiplayer games and websites, which was unsuitable for the Mandragora experience, an exclusively single-player game.

This sparked strong reactions on social media, where users claimed the terms allowed for the sale of personal data. One post warned players to avoid the game until changes were implemented. On Steam forums, many questioned why a single-player RPG required such extensive data collection. The confusion grew further when players conflated the standard Steam EULA with the Privacy Policy, mistakenly thinking both were related to data sharing.

The controversy escalated as Mandragora received mixed Steam reviews (64% positive from 1,058 reviews), with some players citing the Privacy Policy as the reason for a negative review. This was a heavy blow for a game that had gained popularity through Kickstarter and well-received demo versions. Knights Peak Interactive and Primal Game Studio reacted quickly. The following was clarified:

• No personal data was collected if players opted out.
• The Privacy Policy was optional; players could decline it at startup without losing access.
• Those who accepted it could revoke it by deleting their save data (with an in-game option coming later).
• Unrelated legal documents were removed to avoid confusion.

With the 1.2.7 update, released shortly after launch, the developers removed all telemetry and data collection from the game to ensure a completely offline experience. In a post on the Steam Community, Knights Peak explained the change, addressing player concerns about privacy. They also offered a data deletion request by contacting their Data Protection Officer.

Also, some players on Steam praised the swift resolution, saying the removal of data collection restored their confidence in the game. Others remained skeptical, arguing that better communication could have prevented the issue entirely. The controversy highlighted a growing concern in the gaming world: players are more wary of data collection, especially in single-player games where it seems unnecessary.