Terms of service

01Acceptance

By creating a Sporeline account, using the game, purchasing beta access or using any part of the Service, you agree to these Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

If you use Sporeline on behalf of another person or organisation, you confirm that you have authority to accept these terms for them.

02The service

Sporeline is a browser-based bacterial survival game. It includes a playable field, account and save features, community chat, and a one-time paid beta that unlocks the complete current build. Sporeline is operated as an independent game project. “We”, “us” and “our” refer to its operator.

The Service is offered in beta. That means features may be incomplete, may change, and may occasionally be unavailable while we test them. We may add, modify or remove features, maps, modes, balance changes or community tools. We will try to give reasonable notice of changes that materially affect paid access.

03Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account or use the Service. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may use Sporeline only with the involvement and permission of a parent or guardian who agrees to these terms on your behalf.

You must not use the Service if you have previously been removed for a serious violation of these terms, unless we have given you written permission to return. You are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you.

04Your account

• Provide accurate account information and keep it reasonably current.
• Keep your password and sign-in credentials confidential. You are responsible for activity carried out through your account.
• Do not share, sell, rent or transfer an account, beta access or tester status.
• Choose a username and display name that do not impersonate another person, mislead other players, or violate the rights of others. We may require a name to be changed or remove it.
• Tell us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.

We use account identifiers and server-side records to keep access tied to the account that purchased it. A purchase does not transfer when a username or display name changes.

05Beta access and payments

The paid beta is a one-time purchase that unlocks beta access on a single Sporeline account. The current price is shown at checkout and may be advertised as US$4. The price displayed at checkout controls. Prices are in US dollars and may exclude applicable taxes, which will be added where required.

Payments are processed by Stripe. By making a purchase, you authorise the charge and agree to Stripe's applicable terms. We do not receive or store your full payment card details. Access is normally activated as soon as Stripe confirms the payment, but confirmation can take a short time.

• Beta access is a licence to use the Service, not a transferable product or an ownership interest.
• Beta access is not a subscription, and we will not automatically charge you again for it.
• We may change the price or availability of future beta purchases, but those changes will not affect a purchase already completed.
• We do not promise that the beta will run indefinitely. If we discontinue the Service, we will handle existing paid access in good faith and in light of applicable consumer law.

Refunds and payment problems

Because beta access is digital and made available immediately, sales are final except where a refund is required by applicable law. Nothing in these terms limits a mandatory consumer right you have where you live.

If you were charged more than once, paid but did not receive access, or believe a charge was unauthorised, contact us with the email address on the account and any Stripe receipt. We will investigate and, where appropriate, correct or refund the charge. Filing a chargeback without contacting us first may cause access to be suspended while the dispute is investigated.

06Virtual items

Spores, colonies, research progress, rank, lineage records, cosmetic choices and the tester title are part of the game. They have no cash value, are not property, and cannot be redeemed for money or transferred outside the Service. We may adjust, reset or remove them where needed for game balance, security, fraud prevention, technical reasons or enforcement of these terms. Where a change materially affects a paid benefit, we will act reasonably and give notice where practicable.

07Your content

You keep ownership of content you create, such as your display name, messages, lineage names and colour choices. By posting content in the Service, you give us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, format and moderate that content for the purpose of operating, improving and promoting the Service. This licence ends when the content is deleted from the Service, except for copies retained in backups or as required by law.

Public areas are public. Do not post personal information, confidential information or content you do not have the right to share. We may remove content or restrict accounts that violate these terms, but we are not required to monitor every message and do not endorse what players post.

08Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• cheat, exploit bugs for an unfair advantage, use unauthorised automation, bots, macros or modified clients;
• manipulate saves, runs, scores, purchases, access checks, leaderboards or another player's account;
• harass, threaten, stalk, defame or discriminate against another person;
• post hateful, sexually exploitative, graphic or unlawful content, or content that reveals another person's private information;
• impersonate Sporeline staff, another player or any other person;
• spam, advertise, phish or distribute malware;
• access the Service by unauthorised means, probe its security, or attempt to bypass access, rate or payment controls;
• scrape, copy or reverse engineer the Service except where the law expressly permits it;
• interfere with the Service, its servers or another player's use of it; or
• use the Service in violation of applicable law.

We may investigate suspected violations, preserve relevant records and take proportionate action, including warnings, content removal, restrictions, suspension or permanent removal. Serious payment fraud or attempts to compromise other accounts may be reported to the relevant providers or authorities.

09Intellectual property

Sporeline, including its name, wordmark, artwork, interface, code, music, text, simulation and game design, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and play the Service for your own non-commercial enjoyment, subject to these terms.

You may not copy, distribute, sell, sublicense, publish or create derivative works from the Service or its assets without our prior written permission, except for brief screenshots or clips shared for commentary or discussion that do not disclose private information or suggest endorsement.

10Third-party services

The Service uses third-party providers, including Stripe for payments, Cloudflare and its hosting providers for infrastructure, and Google if you choose Google sign-in. These providers have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for their independent services, but we choose them with care and only share what is needed to provide the relevant function.

11Availability and changes

We aim to keep Sporeline available, but the Service is provided on an “as available” basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, error-free operation, preservation of every save or compatibility with every device. Maintenance, security incidents, provider outages and game updates may interrupt play.

We may change, suspend or discontinue any part of the Service. Where a change materially affects paid beta access, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected account holders. Nothing in this section excludes rights you have under applicable consumer law.

12Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement and uninterrupted or error-free operation.

Sporeline is a game, not a source of medical, scientific, financial or other professional advice. Any in-game simulation, score or representation is fictional entertainment and should not be relied on for real-world decisions.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so some of the above may not apply to you. Nothing here limits a right that cannot lawfully be limited.

13Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill or opportunity, arising out of or related to the Service or these terms, even if we have been advised that such damages are possible.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to the Service or these terms will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us for beta access in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, and (b) CAD $20.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law, including your mandatory consumer rights.

14Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. To request deletion of your account, contact us using the address below; we may need to verify that you control the account.

We may suspend or terminate your access if you materially breach these terms, create a risk to the Service or other players, engage in fraud or payment abuse, or if we are required to do so by law. Where appropriate, we will give notice and an opportunity to explain. If we terminate your account for our convenience and you have paid for beta access that you cannot use, we will consider a fair refund or remedy in light of applicable law.

On termination, your licence to use the Service ends and we may delete your account and game data, subject to the retention rules in our Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature should survive termination—including intellectual property, disclaimers, liability, and governing law—will continue to apply.

15Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Canada and the province or territory in which the operator is established, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. You and we agree to the jurisdiction of the courts located there, except that either of us may seek relief in a court with jurisdiction over the other party.

If you are a consumer, this section does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory laws or courts in your country of residence.

16Changes to these terms

We may update these terms to reflect changes to the Service, the law or how we operate. The effective date and version at the top will change when we do. If a change materially affects your rights or paid access, we will give prominent notice in the Service or by email before it takes effect. Where required, we will ask you to review and agree to the updated terms before continuing to use the affected features.

If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining terms will continue in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. These terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service.

17Contact

Questions about these terms, payments, refunds or account access can be sent to the operator of Sporeline: