Newsletters and mailing lists
An audience that's really ours
Our Discord server, our video channels and our Steam page all live on someone else's platform, and the platform makes the rules. It can change what followers see, change its features or close an account, and we can't take our followers with us.
An email list is different. It is a list of people who asked to hear from us, and we can move it to any email tool we like. When Hyper Shards launches, one email lands in the inbox of every fan who signed up.
A sign-up with real consent
People join through a short form on our website: one email box, a tick box that starts empty, and plain words saying what they'll get, like "One email a month about Hyper Shards: devlogs, launch news and sales." That is consent: a clear yes to something they understand.
Then comes double opt-in. The email tool sends a message with a confirm link, and the address joins the list only when its owner clicks it. This stops typos and fake sign-ups, and shows each person really asked.
Quick check
A sign-up box that is already ticked when the page loads counts as clear consent under Europe's GDPR.
- True
- False
Show the answer
False
The GDPR says consent needs a clear action by the person, and that silence, pre-ticked boxes or doing nothing don't count. The box starts empty, and the person ticks it.
The law in every email
Anti-spam and privacy laws differ from country to country, so you and a parent check the latest rules for where your readers live. Two big examples:
- US: CAN-SPAMEvery marketing email needs an honest sender and subject line, a real postal address (a registered post office box counts, so a home address can stay private) and an easy way to unsubscribe, honoured within 10 business days. Fines can pass US$50,000 per email.
- EU and UKMarketing emails to people usually need their consent first. Under the GDPR, withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it.
- Our ruleWe only write to people who said yes, and every email has an unsubscribe link and our address.
Footer check
1Thanks for reading! Next devlog in November.2 3Hyper Shards studio4PO Box 100, Sample Town5You get this because you signed up at ourstudio.com.6To stop these emails, send us a signed letter.
Remy wrote the footer for the studio newsletter. Which line must change?
- Line 3
- Line 4
- Line 5
- Line 6
Show the answer
Line 6
Leaving must be easy. CAN-SPAM asks for a reply address or an easy online way, and the GDPR says withdrawing must be as easy as joining. An unsubscribe link fixes it. The name, the address and the sign-up reminder are right.
Kids and email lists
An email address is personal information under COPPA, the US law that protects children under 13 (Stage 4 covers it in Keeping player data safe). Collecting one from a child means a parent must be told, and often must give verified consent first.
So our newsletter is for adults: parents and grown-up fans. The form asks for month and year of birth, a neutral age screen. The FTC says an "I am over 12" tick box is not neutral. If someone is under 13, they see a friendly note and nothing is stored. A parent owns the email tool account.
Player message
I'm 10 and I love Garden Defense! Can you add me to your newsletter? My email is in my next message.
What should the team do?
- Thank them, don't collect the email, and suggest a parent signs up and shares the news
- Add the email, since they asked nicely
- Add the email, but only send them sale emails
Show the answer
Thank them, don't collect the email, and suggest a parent signs up and shares the news
Collecting a child's email brings in COPPA's parent rules, and our list is for adults. A parent can sign up and pass on the news, and the moderator stops an email address being posted in public.
Measure honestly
Email tools report two main numbers. Open rate is the share of people who opened the email. Click rate is the share who clicked a link in it.
Open rates are blurry. Apple's Mail Privacy Protection downloads emails in the background when they arrive, so senders can't see who really opened them, and many tools count those emails as opened anyway. Clicks are more reliable, because a person had to act. Unsubscribes are useful too: a jump after one email tells us something.
Never buy an email list. Those people never said yes.
Read the numbers
1October devlog (made-up example numbers)2 3Sent 1,0004Opened 6205Clicked to the demo 906Unsubscribed 4
Which number best shows how many readers really acted on this email?
- Clicked: 90 people chose to visit the demo
- Opened: 620, because every open is a real reader
- Sent: 1,000, because everyone received it
Show the answer
Clicked: 90 people chose to visit the demo
A click needs a real person to act. Some opens are counted by privacy features that download emails in the background, and being sent an email says nothing about reading it.
What to send, and how often
- DevlogsWhat we built this month, with a screenshot or short clip. Fans love watching the game grow.
- Launches and demosA release date, a festival demo, a big update.
- SalesA Hyper Shards discount. The form promised sales news, so this is what readers signed up for.
- A steady rhythmPick a pace the team can keep, like once a month, with one main point per email and an honest subject line.
Many email tools exist, with different prices, limits and privacy terms. A parent compares them and picks one with the team.
Bolt says: A newsletter talks to fans we already have. Next: short videos that reach people who have never heard of us.
Fact-checked 9 October 2026
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide ftc.gov
- GDPR Recital 32: conditions for consent gdpr-info.eu
- GDPR Article 7: conditions for consent gdpr-info.eu
- ICO: electronic mail marketing ico.org.uk
- FTC: complying with COPPA, FAQ ftc.gov
- Apple: Mail Privacy Protection support.apple.com