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Fantastic Pixel Castle (FPC) is a new studio founded in 2023 to create our take on a modernized fantasy MMORPG, codenamed Ghost.

If you are interested in our studio, there is more context below. If you just care about Ghost,we totally get it, and you can jump to it HERE.

 

We are committed to being a fully remote and global studio, so that we can hire world-class people and have them live their best lives.

We think top-heavy bureaucracy stifles creativity, so we aim to stay small as we focus on delivering a game and a world that you will love.

We are fully-funded, and the team will share in all of our studio's successes.

OUR TEAM VALUES
PARTNER WITH PLAYERS
Every iteration takes our game to new heights. Partnering with our players builds trust and helps us embrace a wealth of diverse perspectives
IN THIS TOGETHER
We foster a trusting work environment where it is easy to speak up when you think differently
HAVE FUN ALONG THE WAY
We love games, and we believe making them should be a joyful experience

We know sections like this can sound dry, perfunctory, or awkward, but we deeply believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion. For us that

starts with actively sourcing global talent and using unbiased hiring practices focusing on essential skills, passion, and experience.

If you love building the best games for players and believe in collaboration and creativity, check out our CAREERS PAGE.

 

For inquiries about our studio from members of the media, please contact us at

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OUR GOALS

FOR GHOST

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THE WORLD

OF GHOST

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CONFLICT IN

THE SHARDLANDS

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FITTING INTO

YOUR LIFE

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MULTITUDES

OF CLASSES

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WHEN WHERE AND

HOW CAN I PLAY

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OUR GOALS FOR GHOST

As players, we are deeply in love with MMOs for their promise of social worlds. But we also feel that the genre has lately struggled to provide a community that you care about while still making your character feel heroic or special. We believe MMOs have moved too far toward solo adventuring, where other players often just slow you down. We want to bring back as central pillars of the MMO experience both playing with friends and building a community. We want to bring back the chance to impact the world around you.

We are currently in the early stages of development and don't have a planned release date for Ghost (which btw is itself a placeholder name). We're so excited to share our first takes with you, but acknowledge that stuff will inevitably change as we test our ideas and get your feedback. So for those of you who only want to hear from us when our game is ready to try, we'll let you know when to tune back in!

GO BACK
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THE WORLD OF GHOST

Imagine standing on the weathered cobblestones of an ancient city. In the sky above you are seemingly endless shards of broken worlds, a cornucopia of biomes that promise unlimited adventure and mystery. You are one of the survivors of an apocalypse lost to memory, and the rebuilding of the world now lies on your shoulders.

In Ghost, you travel to world shards to power up your characters, bring back resources, and build your fledgling civilization by growing and supporting the city's diverse and ever-changing factions. In turn, you'll see the city grow and evolve over time based on the choices and actions of players just like you, as an epic story unfolds season over season.

The World of Ghost is an original IP designed from the ground up to create rich and immersive gameplay. It is a fantasy world of heroic adventure, where you seek clues to uncover the mysteries of the world and engage with allies and enemies who have diverse motivations, actions, and secrets. You will fight with axes and crossbows and magic, but we do want to avoid the tropes of fantasy that you've already seen hundreds of times. For example, there are no elves or orcs in Ghost. We are pouring our passion into our IP development early, in order to build something that you can enjoy for decades to come.

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CONFLICT IN THE SHARDLANDS

In our game, you will alternate between private realms that we're calling "Blue Shards" for you and your friends, and more public "Red Shards" that deliver a more traditional massively multiplayer experience.

Blue Shards play a bit like a survival game - you and your friends can gather resources, construct bases, and adventure out into the wilderness. Blue Shards are extremely variable, ensuring a place full of new discoveries and challenges, guaranteeing that you'll never see the same Blue Shard twice. Because the Blue Shards belong to you, your effects on them are persistent and permanent. If you prefer a more competitive experience, you can host or join Blue Shards focused on guild rivalry, or even guild-versus-guild PvP.

Red Shards are crafted by some of the best world artists and encounter designers to provide a signature massively multiplayer experience with many players at once. Red Shards are some of the most challenging places in the game to survive, so your group will need to band together with other groups to defeat world bosses, collect critical resources, and even open the gates to the end-game raiding instances. We expect some of you may prefer Blue or Red Shards, but the core way to play Ghost is to travel between both regularly as well as to Ghost's central city.

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FITTING INTO YOUR LIFE

We know there are sweaty raiders out there who will be excited to invest hundreds of hours in Ghost. Awesome! You'll have plenty to do, including making new characters, discovering new Blue Shards with different and game-changing rules, and of course raiding.

We know others of you out there want to play lots of other amazing games in addition to Ghost. Our story unfolds in chapters, so when you finish a chapter, that's a great time to take a break and know you won't get left behind when the next chapter comes out.

We also understand that many of you play with a group of friends that you take from game to game. MMOs are notorious for throwing up barriers to playing with friends, whether that's factions, servers, power levels, class mechanics and so on. Ghost is designed so that the moment you first log in you can be playing with friends both new or old.

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MULTITUDES OF CLASSES

In keeping with the spirit of giving you lots of ways to play, Ghost is extremely alt friendly so that time invested in one character benefits all of your characters. And this matters, because there are dozens of character classes in Ghost. Our hope is that you can find a class that really speaks to you. There will be many ways to fill tanking, healing and damage-dealing roles, some of which will be iconic and some of which will be a little weird. While you will have several class options when Ghost launches, even more will be available as rewards within the game. Having a new class to try out is a great way to play with different groups of friends.

Ghost's combat combines updated control schemes and UI with the classic targeting and combat strategy that we love from RPGs. While not every challenge will need to be overcome with violence, we get that great combat is critical to RPG longevity, and we are investing a lot of effort and playtesting in this core gameplay feature.

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WHEN WHERE AND HOW CAN I PLAY

Our goal is to move as quickly as we can in development, and we have many advantages that will help us bring Ghost to you faster than is typical for AAA games. We will also include you early in development and are committed to making even major changes based on your feedback. We will bounce ideas off of interested players from time to time, and when we are ready for playtesters, we will absolutely make sure you know.

Our initial development efforts are focused on PC, and ideally we will ship on consoles as well. We plan to ship our game globally and to localize into many languages.

And while it is too soon to go into a lot of detail about our business model (and seriously, it is still evolving), don't worry about excessive gacha mechanics, endless loot boxes, pay to win or the like. We want you to feel good about investing your time and money in this experience.

We are unbelievably excited about the opportunity to make this game for you and with you.

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Our team brings decades of experience building beloved MMOs as well as other leading games and products from across the tech and creative industries.
role

GREG

STREET

STUDIO HEAD & GAME DIRECTOR
role

BART

TIONGSON

PRINCIPAL CONCEPT ARTIST
role

BRIAN

HOLINKA

GAMEPLAY DESIGN DIRECTOR
role

CAM

DUNN

CTO
role

CANDACE

THOMAS

CONTENT DESIGN DIRECTOR
role

DAVID

KUBALAK

ART DIRECTOR
role

ED

ALTORFER

USER EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR
role

GRAHAM

BERGER

PRINCIPAL GAME DESIGNER
role

JAMES

DOVERSPIKE

ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP
role

JAMIE

VITALE

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
role

JON

SPECTOR

VP OF BUSINESS
role

KRISTINA

SWANENBURG

VP OF PRODUCT
role

LISA

OHANIAN

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
role

SHANTI

BLEES

VP OF IP
role
GREG
STREET
STUDIO HEAD & GAME DIRECTOR
Age of Empires | World of Warcraft | League of Legends | Riot Games MMO
He who venerates crustacea, who is father to chickens, who has wrestled alligators, who has seen the bottom of the ocean, who has nerfed your paladins. He who wants to make a great MMO, with players, as fast as possible, while keeping super high morale on this team.
role
BART
TIONGSON
PRINCIPAL CONCEPT ARTIST
Age of Empires | Halo Wars | Orcs Must Die
Born with a pencil in his hand and a hat on his head, Bart has always been passionate about drawing and painting. He loves to give away pencil sketches and original artwork as gifts to his friends and family - “First one’s free!”
role
BRIAN
HOLINKA
GAMEPLAY DESIGN DIRECTOR
Homefront | Transformers | World of Warcraft
Whether it’s Apache Helicopters or Dragons, Brian lives to empower players with the ability to blow things up, including each other. Brian has spent a decade designing weapons and vehicles for multiplayer shooters and another decade designing combat on World of Warcraft.
role
CAM
DUNN
CTO
Meta | Apple | League of Legends | Guild Wars 2 | Setec Astronomy
Even after all these years, Cam still can’t believe that he gets to make video games all day. His gaming backlog currently has 97 games on it with an estimated total time to complete of 1572 hours. It’s not getting any shorter. He’s so grateful that you’re coming on this journey with us.
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CANDACE
THOMAS
CONTENT DESIGN DIRECTOR
Blizzard | Amazon | Riot Games MMO
Serial MMO developer. Developed World of Warcraft for over 13 years from Burning Crusade to Shadowlands, as well as Diablo 4, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO and New World, and the Riot MMO. Healer main, tank alt - never a DPS.
role
DAVID
KUBALAK
ART DIRECTOR
Age of Empires | Orcs Must Die | Wildcard
Once a young aspiring comic book artist that eventually traded his pencil box for a PC at the age of 19. Went on to create and art direct dozens of games across a variety of gaming platforms since the launch of the US space shuttle Discovery.
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ED
ALTORFER
USER EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR
League of Legends |Teamfight Tactics | Riot Games MMO
Full-time guild leader and lifelong MMORPG and JRPG lover. Cries during every sentimental anime scene. 日本語を勉強しています. Probably yelling at you right now for standing in fire—come on, clear comms and focus up!
role
GRAHAM
BERGER
PRINCIPAL GAME DESIGNER
World of Warcraft
Cat dad, weird coffee person, amateur bread baker. As a professional purveyor of power fantasies, Graham is excited to put all sorts of cool toys into players’ hands.
role
JAMES
DOVERSPIKE
ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP
World of Warcraft | Diablo II: Resurrected | Fortnite
When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was make games. But I was always drawn to the engineering side of games–rendering the world, making the character jump. For me, the only thing more fun than playing games is making them. I’ve worked on some classics, but now I’m thrilled to be making the next one.
role
JAMIE
VITALE
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Cryptic Studios | Meta
Owner of all things Operations and cutest corgi in the world. In my spare time you’ll find me tending to my plant collection, cooking up a new dish, or crushing some in-N-out.
role
JON
SPECTOR
VP OF BUSINESS
Overwatch | NBA | Boston Consulting Group
I’m the guy posting very bad dad jokes in the meeting chat. When I’m not trying to beat an old RPG on my Switch, you can find me hiking, skiing, watching anime, blasting Taylor Swift music, or just trying to sleep when my young kids let me.
role
KRISTINA
SWANENBURG
VP OF PRODUCT
League of Legends | Arcane | Riot Games R&D
Quantifier of the immeasurable and keeper of the night who wrangles all chaos. Built systems that drive positive behavior and social connection in games. Utilized strategic thinking and audience understanding to nurture IPs and craft resonant and impactful stories across diverse mediums - games, TV, comics, books, music, etc.
role
LISA
OHANIAN
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
VALORANT | God of War | Dungeons & Dragons
Oath of the Ancients Paladin who came here to drink coffee and make a kickass game, and she just finished her coffee. Strategist, philosopher, maker of plans, and warden of our time and scope.
role
SHANTI
BLEES
VP OF IP
Riot Games | Worldbuilder | Editor
Loves all things creative, so come talk to him about your favorite IP for as long as you want. Been lucky enough to work on a wide variety of awesome creative projects with even more incredible people, and can’t wait to do it more here. Food fan, pet dad, parse chaser, fantasy + scifi nerd.
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As a fully remote studio Fantastic Pixel Castle is seeking talented teammates to join us in our journey.
We encourage you to apply, even if you're not sure you check all the boxes. Our Talent team will review your application and contact
you if there is a potential fit.

For now, we need the most experienced game-makers, but we commit to filling more junior roles down the road,
even if you have no professional game experience.

OPEN ROLES

PARTNER WITH PLAYERS

Every iteration takes our game to new heights. Partnering with our players builds trust and helps us embrace a wealth of diverse perspectives

Players play our game as soon as it’s meaningful, which empowers us to make changes—sometimes even big ones—when things aren’t working

We talk about our vision, goals, and intentions with players, so they can help shape the game through meaningful discussion

Everyone is empowered and supported in engaging with players if they want to, and we always have a way to get player feedback on our work

IN THIS TOGETHER

We foster a trusting work environment where it is easy to speak up when you think differently

We invite disagreement; diverse perspectives are a treasure trove of insight, not a distraction

We strive to communicate in ways that build each other up so we can make awesome experiences together

Everyone has knowledge and experience gaps, so we rely on each other to fill them in

We embrace everyone’s diverse styles of working and thinking and seek out ways to get everyone’s best, honest opinions

We build bridges of support and understanding, because we win as one

HAVE FUN ALONG THE WAY

We love games, and we believe making them should be a joyful experience

We approach game development with joy and a playful heart while acknowledging that making games can be challenging

We optimistically embrace change—games are constantly evolving, so it’s okay if our ideas don’t play out like we thought they would

…and we mandate 93 minutes of fun and a minimum of three memes per day

PRIVACY NOTICE

LEGAL INFORMATION

This Privacy Notice describes how Shattershock Limited (“Shattershock”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, discloses or otherwise processes information about users of the website from which this Privacy Notice is being accessed (the “Site”).

By using or interacting with the Site, you (the “User”, “you”, or “your”) understand that we process your information as described in this Privacy Notice.

For purposes of applicable law, Shattershock Limited (an Irish company) is the “Data Controller” of information collected through the Site. Our mailing address is Shattershock Limited, 1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-26 Sheriff Street, Upper, Dublin 1, Ireland, D01 YC43.

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

When you use the Site, we collect personal information about you or your use of the Site. The categories of information we collect are:

  • Information You Provide. We collect information that you provide to us directly when you fill out a form on the Site (such as “Contact Us” or “Subscribe”) or send us an email or postal mail. This may include your name, email address, and your message to us.
  • Information We Collect Automatically.
    • Cookies.We collect information through cookies and similar technologies (“Cookies”) to operate and provide the Site. For more details about our use of Cookies, including third-party Cookies, please see our Cookie Notice.
    • Usage Information. ○We collect information about how the Site is used, including information about Site pages viewed, date/time stamps of actions taken, log files, crash or diagnostic data, performance logs, and error reports or messages.
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    • General Location.We use IP addresses to estimate your general location, like city and country.

2. USE OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT / LEGAL BASES FOR PROCESSING

Under applicable data protection laws (such as the General Data Protection Regulation), companies must have a legal basis to process your personal data. Below, we describe our legal bases and purposes for processing the information we collect.

  • Processing necessary to perform our contract with you. We process your information as necessary to provide and operate the Site. Specifically, we analyze Information You Provide and Information We Collect Automatically (“Your Information”) to:
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    • Transfer, store, or process your information outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”), the United Kingdom (“UK”), and/or Switzerland.
  • Legitimate interests.We process your information where the information is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of others (such as those of our users). We process Your Information to:
    • Operate, troubleshoot, and improve the Site and our business.
    • Promote safety, security, and integrity outside of the performance of our contract with you.
    • Understand our users and how they interact with the Site.
    • Perform internal analytics concerning the Site.
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    In certain jurisdictions, you have the right to object to, and seek restriction of, this processing based on legitimate interest. To exercise the rights, visit Section 6 of this Privacy Notice.
  • Fulfillment of a legal obligation.We may be required to use Your Information to comply with a legal obligation, such as when we need to respond to a valid legal request.
  • Consent. In some cases, we may ask for your consent to use Your Information for specific purposes. In these cases, we’ll provide the ability to withdraw your consent.

3. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We share your information with others as described below:

  • Service providers.We share Your Information with our service providers who provide web hosting, analytics, and communications services to us.
  • Related companies. We may share Information You Provide with our subsidiaries and affiliates for purposes consistent with this Privacy Notice.
  • Business transfers.In the event we are involved in a corporate sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution, or similar event, or due diligence related to such event, Your Information may be part of the transferred assets.
  • Legal requirements and harm prevention.We may disclose Your Information to comply with a legal obligation or to protect and defend our rights and our users’ rights.

We have not “sold” or “shared” (as those terms are defined by applicable law) personal information in the past 12 months, nor do we “sell” or “share” any personal information about individuals, including those that we know are under sixteen (16) years old. We do not share your personal information with third parties for direct marketing purposes.

4. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

Your personal information is hosted on servers located in the country where you reside. Our service providers, affiliates and subsidiaries, and partners are located in various countries around the world. Your personal information may be transferred to, and processed in, these countries, which may be different from the territory in which you reside. These countries may have data protection laws that are different from those of your jurisdiction (and, in some cases, may not be as protective). These entities commit to processing information in compliance with applicable data protection laws and to implementing appropriate security measures to protect your information.

Where this will involve transferring your personal information outside the UK, EEA and/or Switzerland, we implement the following safeguards to ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded:

  • Adequacy Decisions:We rely on the adequacy decisions to transfer data to Canada, Japan, and the UK (the full list of adequate countries is available here for the EEA, here for the UK, and here for Switzerland).
  • Standard Contractual Clauses:We rely on the standard contractual clauses issued by the European Commission and the UK for transfers to countries which are not considered adequate, such as Singapore and Hong Kong. You may obtain a copy of these measures by contacting us.

5. DATA RETENTION

We retain personal information in accordance with our data retention policy and where reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes described in this Privacy Notice. To determine the appropriate duration of the retention of personal information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information; the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure; whether we can attain our objectives by other means; and compliance with our legal, regulatory, tax, accounting and other applicable obligations.

6. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the rights listed below in relation to your personal information. However, these rights are not absolute, and may apply only in certain circumstances.

  • Request access to or a copy of your personal information.
  • Delete your personal information.
  • Correct or update your personal information where it’s inaccurate.
  • Object to processing of your personal information or ask us to restrict processing of your personal information.
  • Where applicable, withdraw your consent without affecting the processing already undertaken before your withdrawal or the processing of your personal information on other lawful grounds.
  • Complain to a data protection authority about our processing of your personal information. You can file a claim with the Data Protection Authority in the EEA country in which you live or work or where you think we have infringed data protection laws, or with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, as applicable to you. Contact details for Data Protection Authorities in the EEA are available here and the UK ICO can be contacted here.
  • Designate, in writing or through a power of attorney document, an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf to exercise your rights. Before accepting such a request from an agent, we will require that the agent provide proof you have authorized them to act on your behalf.
You may submit a request to exercise your privacy rights to us at privacy@oc.netease.com or at Shattershock Limited, Attention: Privacy, 1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-26 Sheriff Street, Upper, Dublin 1, Ireland, D01 YC43. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. Further information may be needed to verify your identity before these rights can be exercised. If we deny your request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us.

7. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We may amend this Privacy Notice from time to time with an updated effective date at the top of this page. By continuing to use the Site, you are confirming that you have read and understood the latest version of this Privacy Notice.

8. INFORMATION FOR KOREA RESIDENTS

This Section applies only if you are a resident of South Korea.

Data sharing. We delegate the processing of your personal information as described below, and the delegates may process your personal data for the below purposes.

Delegatee Delegated Tasks
Google LLC Data processor: Processes and stores information on our behalf for website analytics purposes. Please see our Cookie Notice.

Data transfers.We provide personal information to third parties overseas as described below.

Name of Recipient (country, contact info) Overseas Country Date & Method of Transfer Items of Personal Information provided Purpose of Use by Recipient Period of Retention and Use by Recipient
Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA USA Transmitted from time to time All personal information specified in Section 2 Storage of data and providing analytics services to data controller See Section 5

Data destruction. We are required to retain certain personal information for the time periods and pursuant to the laws set forth below.

Applicable Law Types of Personal Information and Retention Period
Republic of Korea: Protection of Communications Secrets Act Log records and IP address: 3 months
The date of telecommunications by users, the time that the telecommunications start and end, the frequency of use: 12 months
Republic of Korea: Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce Records regarding customer service or dispute resolution: 3 years
Records regarding execution or withdrawal of a contract: 5 years

9. CONTACT US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact us at privacy@oc.netease.com or Shattershock Limited, Attention: Privacy, 1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-26 Sheriff Street, Upper, Dublin 1, Ireland, D01 YC43.

TERMS OF USE

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are an agreement between you (the “User”, “you”, or “your”) and Shattershock Limited (“Shattershock”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) that govern your access and use of the website from where you are accessing the Terms (the “Site”). If you use the Site on behalf of a company or other entity, then the “User”, “you”, or “your” includes you and that entity, and you represent and warrant that you are an authorized representative of that entity. When accessing or using our games, apps, software, products, or services other than the Site, you may be subject to separate terms.

Please read these Terms carefully. Section 19 contains a binding individual arbitration clause and class action waiver that apply to all claims arising from use of this website and could significantly affect your legal rights.

1. WHO WE ARE

The Site is provided by Shattershock Limited, a company operating under the laws of Ireland, located at 1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-126 Sheriff Street, Upper, Dublin 1, Ireland D01 YC43. When we reference affiliates in these Terms, we mean the subsidiaries, parent companies, joint ventures, and other corporate entities under common ownership and their agents, consultants, employees, officers, and directors (whether now or in the future).

2. UPDATES TO THESE TERMS

We may decide to update these Terms from time to time. When we do so, we will post the changes on this page and indicate the date they were last updated. By continuing to use the Site, you confirm that you accept the amended Terms. We hope you will continue using our Site, but if you do not agree to our Terms, as amended, you must stop using the Site.

3. PRIVACY

The Privacy Notice describes our data practices, including how we collect and use your information when you use the Site.

4. MODIFICATIONS TO THE SITE

We may modify the content or functionality of the Site from time to time. The Site may be interrupted, including due to maintenance, repairs, upgrades, or network or equipment failures. We reserve the right to discontinue the Site, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice, at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Site (or any part thereof). We may also impose limits on certain functionality or restrict your access to the Site, in whole or in part, without notice or liability.

5. ELIGIBILITY

You must be at least the age of majority in your country of residence to use the Site. If you are not old enough to have authority to agree to our Terms in your country or territory, your parent or guardian must agree to our Terms on your behalf in order for you to use the Site. Please ask your parent or guardian to review these Terms with you.

6. RESTRICTIONS

You agree to use the Site only for purposes that are legal and in compliance with these Terms and any applicable laws or regulations. You may not use the Site (or assist others to use it) to:

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We work to protect the safety, security, and integrity of the Site, including by prohibiting misuse of the Site. We reserve the right to take appropriate action against users who violate these Terms, including by disabling or suspending access to the Site or by contacting law enforcement.

7. LICENSE TO THE SITE

As between you and us, we (and/or our licensors) own all right, title, and interest in and to the Site, its elements, and all materials displayed or performed through the Site (including, but not limited to, audio, video, designs, illustrations, images, graphics, text, logos, patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, and “look and feel” of the Site). All such content is protected by copyright, trade dress, trademark, and patent laws, international conventions, other relevant intellectual property and proprietary rights, and applicable laws. Using the Site does not give you any ownership therein.

We grant you a worldwide, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable license to use the Site. This license is granted for the sole purpose of using and accessing the Site consistent with these Terms.

8. CONTENT YOU PROVIDE

Unsolicited Ideas

We do not accept unsolicited ideas of concepts, creative ideas, stories, designs, product names, or the like (“Unsolicited Ideas”). We are continuously engaged in active research and development of new products, websites, and services, as well as improvements and enhancements to existing aspects of the Site and our products. Please do not send us any Unsolicited Ideas to avoid the possibility of future misunderstandings when projects, improvements, or enhancements developed by us might seem to be similar or identical to any part of an Unsolicited Idea.

If you choose to send us an Unsolicited Idea, you understand and agree that the following terms apply, regardless of any contrary statements accompanying your submission:

  • Your submission does not create any relationship between you and Shattershock;
  • Your submission and its contents automatically become the property of Shattershock, without any compensation to you;
  • Shattershock may use or redistribute your submission for any purpose on an unrestricted basis;
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User Submissions

By providing content or information to us in connection with the Site (collectively, “User Submissions”), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable, and transferable right to fully exploit, reformat, modify, create derivative works of, excerpt, or translate such User Submissions in connection with the Site and our (and our successors’ and assigns’) business.

9. THIRD PARTIES

The Site may contain links to third-party websites (“Third-Party Sites”) that are subject to different terms and privacy practices. We do not own or control those Third-Party Sites and we are not responsible or liable for any aspect of such Third-Party Sites. Links to any Third-Party Sites are not an endorsement.

We may utilize service providers or partner with our affiliates, subsidiaries, or other third parties to make the Site available to you.

10. INDEMNITY & RELEASE

You will indemnify and hold Shattershock harmless (including, without limitation, from all damages, liabilities, settlements, costs, and attorneys' fees) from any claim or demand made by any third party due to or arising out of your access to the Site, use of the Site, your violation of these Terms, or the infringement by you or any third party using any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.

11. WARRANTY DISCLAIMER

We have no special relationship with or fiduciary duty to you. We have no control over, and no duty to take any action regarding, (i) which users gain access to the Site; (ii) what content you access via the Site; (iii) what effects the content may have on you; (iv) how you may interpret or use the content; or (v) what actions you may take as a result of having been exposed to the content. You release Shattershock from all liability for you having acquired or not acquired content through the Site. Shattershock will not be responsible or liable for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of material contained in or accessed through the Site.

This Site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Shattershock expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. Shattershock makes no warranty that (i) the site will meet your requirements; (ii) the Site will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free; (iii) the results that may be obtained from the use of the site will be accurate or reliable; or (iv) the quality of any products, services, information, or other material obtained by you through the site will meet your expectations.

Shattershock and its affiliates take no responsibility and assume no liability for any content that you, another user, or a third party sends, receives, or stores on or through the Site. You understand and agree that you may be exposed to content that might be offensive, illegal, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate, none of which Shattershock or its affiliates will be responsible for.

12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

IN NO EVENT SHALL SHATTERSHOCK OR ITS SUPPLIERS, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE SITE OR THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THESE TERMS UNDER ANY CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY (i) FOR ANY AMOUNT IN THE AGGREGATE IN EXCESS OF THE GREATER OF $100 OR THE FEES PAID BY YOU THEREFOR DURING THE 12-MONTH PERIOD PRECEDING THE APPLICABLE CLAIM (IF ANY); (ii) FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES); OR (iii) FOR ANY MATTER BEYOND COMPANY'S REASONABLE CONTROL.

California Waiver. If you are a resident of California in the United States, you agree to waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.”

13. ENTIRE AGREEMENT & WAIVER

These Terms, including any additional terms referenced, make up the entire agreement between you and Shattershock, and supersede any prior agreements. These Terms do not create or confer any third-party beneficiary rights. If we do not enforce a provision in these Terms, it will not be considered a waiver. We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you.

14. GOVERNING LAW & VENUE

Unless stated otherwise herein, these Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to the conflict of laws provisions thereof. With respect to any disputes or claims not subject to arbitration as set forth in Section 19, you and Shattershock agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within Los Angeles County, California, United States.

15. ASSIGNMENT

You may not assign, transfer, or delegate your rights and obligations hereunder without Shattershock’s prior written consent. Shattershock may assign, transfer, or delegate this agreement and any rights and obligations hereunder, at its sole discretion.

16. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the Terms shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

17. TERMINATION

These Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Site. You may terminate your use of the Site at any time. We may terminate or suspend your access to the Site at any time, for any reason (including breach of the Terms), and without warning.

18. SURVIVAL

All provisions of these Terms which, by their nature, should survive termination, shall survive termination, including, without limitation, those relating to ownership, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

19. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Please read this section carefully – it may significantly affect your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court and to have a jury hear your claims. It contains procedures for mandatory binding arbitration and a class action waiver.

A. Agreement to Arbitrate

This Dispute Resolution section is referred to in these Terms as the “Arbitration Agreement.” This Arbitration Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to the conflict of laws provisions thereof.

You agree that any and all disputes or claims that have arisen or may arise between you and Shattershock shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration, rather than a court, in accordance with the terms of this Arbitration Agreement, except that the binding individual arbitration provisions herein will not apply to the extent prohibited by the laws of your jurisdiction of residence or where the underlying dispute is one of the following types: (i) disputes or claims within the jurisdiction of a small claims court consistent with the jurisdictional and dollar limits that may apply, as long as it is brought and maintained as an individual dispute; (ii) disputes or claims where the sole form of relief sought is injunctive relief; or (iii) intellectual property disputes.

Further, this Arbitration Agreement does not preclude you from bringing issues to the attention of federal, state, or local agencies, and such agencies can seek relief against us on your behalf if the law allows.

You agree that, by agreeing to these Terms, you and Shattershock are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action. Your rights will be determined by a neutral arbitrator, not a judge or jury. The Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement.

B. WAIVER OF CLASS ACTION & REPRESENTATIVE CLAIMS

You and Shattershock agree that each of us may bring claims against the other only on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action or proceeding. Except as set forth in this Arbitration Agreement, the arbitrator may not consolidate or join more than one person’s or party’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a consolidated, representative, or class proceeding. Likewise, the arbitrator may award relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that party’s individual claim(s). Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may pursue a claim for, and the arbitrator may award, public injunctive relief under applicable law to the extent required for the enforceability of this provision.

If this class action waiver is limited, voided, or found unenforceable, then, unless the parties mutually agree otherwise, the Arbitration Agreement shall be null and void with respect to such proceeding so long as the proceeding is permitted to proceed as a class action.

C. Dispute Resolution & Arbitration Process

You and Shattershock agree that in the event of any dispute between you and Shattershock, either party will first contact the other party and make a good faith sustained effort to resolve the dispute before resorting to more formal means of resolution (including without limitation any court action) after first allowing the receiving party 30 days in which to respond.

Only after the parties have engaged in a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute, and only if those efforts fail, may either party then initiate binding arbitration as the sole means to resolve claims. Any dispute arising from or relating to the subject matter of these Terms shall be finally settled by arbitration in Los Angeles County, California, United States, using the English language in accordance with the Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (“JAMS”) then in effect (“JAMS Rules”), by one commercial arbitrator with substantial experience in resolving intellectual property and commercial contract disputes, who shall be selected from the appropriate list of JAMS arbitrators. For information about the JAMS, its Rules, and fees for consumer disputes, see the JAMS’ arbitration page at https://www.jamsadr.com/arbitration.

If there is any inconsistency between any term of the JAMS Rules and any term of this Arbitration Agreement, the applicable terms of this Arbitration Agreement will control unless the arbitrator determines that the application of the inconsistent Arbitration Agreement terms would not result in a fundamentally fair arbitration. The arbitrator must also follow the provisions of these Terms as a court would. All issues are for the arbitrator to decide, including, but not limited to, issues relating to the scope, enforceability, and arbitrability of this Arbitration Agreement. The arbitrator will apply applicable substantive law consistent with the FAA and the applicable statute of limitations or condition precedent to suit.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, each party shall have the right to institute an action in a court of proper jurisdiction for injunctive or other equitable relief pending a final decision by the arbitrator.

Payment of all filing, administration, and arbitrator fees will be governed by the JAMS Rules, unless otherwise provided in this Arbitration Agreement. The parties also agree that a good-faith challenge by either party to the fees imposed by JAMS does not constitute a default, waiver, or breach of this Arbitration Agreement while such challenge remains pending before JAMS, the arbitrator, and/or a court of competent jurisdiction, and that any due dates for those fees shall be tolled during the pendency of such challenge.

D. Right to Opt Out of Arbitration

You have the right to opt out of arbitration and not be bound by the arbitration provisions set forth in this Section 19 within 30 days of first becoming subject to this Arbitration Agreement. To opt out, you must send written notice of your decision to opt out to arbitrationoptout@oc.netease.com or to our mailing address no later than 30 days after first becoming subject to this Arbitration Agreement. If you opt out of only the arbitration provisions, and not also the class action waiver, the class action waiver still applies. You may not opt out of only the class action waiver and not also the arbitration provisions. If you opt-out of these arbitration provisions, Shattershock also will not be bound by them.

E. Confidentiality & Severability

All aspects of the arbitration proceeding, and any ruling, decision, or award by the arbitrator, will be strictly confidential for the benefit of all parties.

If a court or the arbitrator decides that any term or provision of this Arbitration Agreement (except for Subsection B above) is invalid or unenforceable, the parties agree to replace such term or provision with one that is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid or unenforceable term or provision, and this Arbitration Agreement shall be enforceable as so modified. If a court or the arbitrator decides that any provision of Subsection B is invalid or unenforceable, then the entirety of this Arbitration Agreement shall be null and void, unless such provision is deemed to be invalid or unenforceable solely with respect to claims for public injunctive relief. The remainder of the Terms will continue to apply.

F. Future Changes to Arbitration Agreement

Notwithstanding any provision in these Terms to the contrary, if we make any future change to this Arbitration Agreement while you are a user of the Site, you may reject any such change by sending us a written notice within thirty (30) calendar days of the change to arbitrationoptout@oc.netease.com. By rejecting any future change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any dispute between us in accordance with the language of this version of the Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms).

20. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT NOTIFICATION

If you believe that content you find on the Site infringes a copyright, please send a copyright infringement notification to the Copyright Agent listed below. To be effective, the notification must be in writing and contain the following information:

  • Your full name, address, telephone number, and email address;
  • Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed, or if multiple works on the Site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works;
  • Identification of the material you claim is infringing, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
  • A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
  • A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf; and
  • The electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

A notification of claimed copyright infringement should be emailed to Shattershock’s Copyright Agent at copyright@oc.netease.com. You may also contact us by postal mail at: Shattershock Copyright Agent, 1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-126 Sheriff Street, Upper, Dublin 1, Ireland D01 YC43.

21. MISCELLANEOUS

Shattershock shall not be liable for any failure to perform its obligations hereunder where such failure results from any cause beyond Shattershock’s reasonable control. No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created as a result of these Terms. Our Terms are written in English (United States), and any translated version is provided solely for your convenience. To the extent any translated version of our Terms conflicts with the English version, the English version controls.