Several gaming companies have announced plans to remove support for an analytics app they have bundled with their games.

The decision to remove the app came after several Reddit and Steam users noticed that many game publishers have recently embedded a controversial analytics SDK (software development kit) part of recent updates to their games.

Games rally against RedShell usage

The program bundled with all these games, and at the heart of all the recent controversy is RedShell, an analytics package provided by Innervate, Inc., to game publishers.

Game makers are supposed to embed this SDK within their games and run social marketing programs with specific affiliate IDs. If a new user buys and installs a game via one of these campaigns, the RedShell SDK embedded in the game pings back the publishers about the source of the new install.

But in several recent online discussions, users are complaining that besides logging the source of a new game install, the app also creates fingerprints for each gamer, with information about their online personas and gaming rigs.

According to some gamer's complaints and game studio's responses, it appears that some game studio's were not fully disclosing that this SDK is now part of their games. In some cases, even if it was disclosed, they made it an opt-out package instead of opt-in, which could violate privacy laws depending on the user's country.

Angry gamers file complaints with game makers

For the past two weeks, gamers have been spending their time digging through their games' files looking for the presence of RedShell files and processes, and then filing official complaints with the game publishers via online forums, Reddit, Steam, or official websites.

Following this concentrated effort from the online gaming community, many gaming studios have responded to criticism and have removed or pledged to remove RedShell from their products.

At the time of this article's publication, this is the status of games running RedShell and studios that promised to remove it. As this article ages, you'll be able to get an updated list of games running Redshell via this Google Docs spreadsheet or this Reddit thread.

Games who used Redshell which removed or pledged to remove it (as of 16.06.2018):

Games still using Redshell according to community reports (as of 16.06.2018):

Civilization VI

Kerbal Space Program

Guardians of Ember

The Onion Knights

Heroine Anthem Zero

Warhammer 40k Eternal Crusade

Krosmaga

Eternal Card Game

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Astro Boy: Edge of Time

Ballistic Overkill

Cabals: Card Blitz

CityBattle | Virtual Earth

Desolate

Doodle God

Doodle God Blitz

Dungeon Rushers

Labyrinth

My Free Farm 2

NosTale

RockShot

Shadowverse

SOS & SOS Classic

SoulWorker

Stonies

Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation

War Robots

Survived By

Injustice 2

The Wild Eight

Yoku's Island Express

Raging Justice

Warriors: Rise to Glory!

Trailmakers

Robothorium

League of Pirates

Doodle God: Genesis Secrets

Header image source: RedShell website