Terms of Service

Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service, together with our Privacy Policy and any feature-specific terms referenced herein (collectively, the "Terms"), constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("you," "your," or "User") and THEBYTEPLAY PRIVATE LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of India, with its registered office at 32/1, NR Pathareniwas, Tukaramnagar Chandannagar, Vadgaon Sheri, Pune, Pune City, Maharashtra, India, 411014 ("BytePlay," "Company," "we," "us," or "our").

By downloading, installing, accessing, registering for, or using the BytePlay website, mobile application, waitlist, or any related feature or service (collectively, the "Services"), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms in full. If you do not agree to any part of these Terms, you must not access or use the Services.

Your acceptance of these Terms is a precondition to your use of the Services. Where you use the Services on behalf of another person or entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that person or entity to these Terms.

Definitions

For purposes of these Terms: "Content" means any text, data, information, graphics, audio, video, or material made available through the Services, whether submitted by you, other Users, or BytePlay. "User Content" means Content submitted, posted, or transmitted by you. "Connected Account" means any third-party gaming, social, or platform account linked via Game Connect. "Virtual Items" means ByteCoins, Passes, Boosts, and any other in-app currency, credit, or benefit. "Losses" means any and all claims, demands, actions, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees.

Eligibility & Account Registration

3.1 Age requirement

The Services are strictly restricted to individuals who are 18 years of age or older. There is no minor tier, parental-consent mechanism, or reduced-access mode for anyone under 18 under any circumstance — access is fully and permanently blocked below that age, and we make no exception based on jurisdiction-specific age-of-majority variations.

3.2 Representations

By registering for or using the Services, you represent and warrant, on an ongoing basis, that: (a) you are at least 18 years old; (b) you possess the legal right, authority, and capacity to enter into these Terms in your jurisdiction; (c) you are not a person barred from receiving the Services under the laws of India or any other applicable jurisdiction, including on account of any sanctions list, criminal restriction, or prior BytePlay ban; (d) all information you provide during registration and thereafter is true, accurate, current, and complete; and (e) you will promptly update such information as necessary to keep it accurate.

3.3 Age verification

We reserve the right, at any time and without prior notice, to request proof of age or identity, suspend access pending verification, or permanently deny or revoke access where verification is not satisfactorily provided or where we have reason to believe a User does not meet the eligibility criteria. We are under no obligation to provide reasons for such determinations.

3.4 Account security

You are solely and fully responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for any and all activity that occurs under your account, whether or not authorized by you. You must notify us immediately at privacy@thebyteplay.com upon becoming aware of any unauthorized access, use, or suspected breach of your account. BytePlay is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to safeguard your account credentials.

3.5 One account per person

You may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts, impersonating another person or entity, or buying, selling, renting, or otherwise transferring your account is strictly prohibited and grounds for immediate termination without refund or compensation.

Description of the Services

BytePlay is a gaming and sports "Looking-For-Group" platform intended to help Users discover and connect with compatible teammates, opponents, and playing partners, online and in person, through features that currently include or may in the future include: Byte Passport (player identity and reputation profile), matchmaking and discovery, Hubs, community spaces, chat, and voice rooms, Game Connect (linking of external gaming/platform accounts), ByteArcade (in-app casual games and progression), and Arena (organized competitive tournaments, described in Section 11).

The Services are provided on a city-by-city rollout basis and feature availability may vary materially by location, platform, and account status.

Modifications, Suspension & Discontinuation of the Services

We reserve the unrestricted right, at our sole discretion and at any time, to: (a) modify, add, or remove any feature, functionality, or content of the Services; (b) impose limits or restrictions on any feature; (c) suspend or discontinue the Services, in whole or in part, temporarily or permanently; and (d) change eligibility criteria, pricing, or availability — in each case with or without prior notice and without any liability to you or any third party for any such modification, suspension, or discontinuation. We do not guarantee that any specific feature, city, or level of service will remain available at any point in time.

In-Person ("IRL") Meetups — Assumption of Risk & Release

6.1 Nature of the risk

A core function of the Services is to facilitate discovery of, and connection with, other Users for the purpose of playing games or sports together, which may include meeting such Users in person. You expressly acknowledge and agree that meeting or interacting with any person found through the Services, online or in person, carries inherent risk, and that BytePlay has no ability to control the identity, intentions, conduct, or actions of any User.

6.2 No vetting or guarantee

BytePlay does not conduct criminal background checks, government-ID verification, or any form of vetting of Users beyond basic account authentication (e.g., email/phone confirmation). We do not investigate, endorse, guarantee, or vouch for the identity, character, trustworthiness, or safety of any User, notwithstanding any badge, verification label, ByteScore, or similar indicator displayed on the Services, which reflect data-source labelling only and are not a safety certification of any kind.

6.3 Safety precautions

You are solely responsible for exercising sound judgment and reasonable precaution before and during any interaction arising from the Services, including but not limited to: meeting in well-lit public places; informing a trusted third party of your plans, location, and expected return time; not sharing sensitive personal, financial, or location information prematurely; and promptly reporting any concerning behaviour through our in-app reporting tools.

6.4 Assumption of risk and release

You hereby release, waive, and forever discharge BytePlay, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from any and all claims, causes of action, losses, and liability of any kind, known or unknown, arising from or related to any such interaction or meetup, to the maximum extent such release is permitted under applicable Indian law. Nothing in this Section waives any right that cannot lawfully be waived.

Acceptable Use Policy

7.1 Prohibited conduct

You agree that you will not, and will not assist or permit any third party to:

• harass, threaten, intimidate, stalk, dox, bully, defame, or abuse any User or third party;
• post, transmit, or make available any content that is unlawful, obscene, pornographic, hateful, discriminatory, violent, or infringing of any intellectual-property or publicity right;
• impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your identity, age, affiliation, or authority;
• engage in cheating, use of unauthorized third-party tools, bots, scripts, exploits, or bugs to gain unfair advantage or manipulate matchmaking, ByteScore, or any ranking system;
• scrape, crawl, harvest, or extract data from the Services using automated means, or otherwise access the Services by any means other than the interfaces we provide;
• reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive source code from the Services, except where such restriction is prohibited by applicable law;
• use the Services for any unauthorized commercial purpose, spam, chain messages, pyramid schemes, or unsolicited solicitation;
• attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with the age-eligibility gate, security features, or rate limits of the Services;
• upload viruses, malware, or other harmful code, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or another User's account;
• facilitate, promote, or engage in real-money gambling, betting, or wagering of any kind using Virtual Items or otherwise, through the Services;
• violate any applicable law or regulation, including India's Information Technology Act, 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, or any gaming-related legislation.

7.2 Right to monitor

We reserve the right, but assume no obligation, to monitor, review, and record any activity or Content on the Services for compliance, safety, security, and quality-assurance purposes, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law.

Reporting, Moderation & Enforcement

We provide in-app tools for reporting violations of these Terms or our Community Guidelines. We may, at our sole and unfettered discretion and with or without prior notice or investigation disclosure: remove or restrict visibility of any Content; issue warnings; restrict specific features; suspend an account temporarily; or permanently terminate an account — particularly where User safety, platform integrity, or legal compliance is implicated. We are under no obligation to take any particular action in response to a report, to disclose the outcome of any investigation, or to provide reasons for any enforcement decision, except where required by applicable law.

User Content & Licence Grant

9.1 Ownership

As between you and BytePlay, you retain all ownership rights in the User Content you submit. You are solely responsible for your User Content and represent that you own or hold all necessary rights, licences, and permissions to submit it and that it does not infringe or violate the rights of any third party or any law.

9.2 Licence to BytePlay

By submitting User Content, you grant BytePlay a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual (for the duration Content remains on the Services), irrevocable licence to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, adapt, and use such User Content solely as necessary to operate, provide, promote, and improve the Services, subject to your applicable visibility settings.

9.3 Feedback

If you provide us with any suggestions, ideas, or feedback about the Services ("Feedback"), you grant BytePlay a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, modify, and incorporate such Feedback into the Services without any obligation, attribution, or compensation to you.

9.4 Public visibility

Content shared in public or community areas of the Services (profiles, Hub posts, comments) may be visible to other Users or the public depending on your settings. You are solely responsible for information you choose to make visible and should not post anything you do not want to be seen by others.

Virtual Items, Payments & Refunds

10.1 ByteCoins

ByteCoins are a closed-loop, in-app loyalty currency with no cash value. ByteCoins are non-transferable, non-purchasable for real-world value as a standalone product where prohibited, and are not redeemable for cash, cash equivalents, or any real-world value or property, and may not be sold, gifted, traded, wagered, or exchanged outside the Services under any circumstance. BytePlay reserves the right to adjust, expire, or revoke ByteCoins in connection with a violation of these Terms, discontinuation of a feature, or as otherwise described in these Terms.

10.2 Passes, Boosts & other paid features

Paid features (including Passes and Boosts) grant the described in-app benefit for the stated duration, subject to these Terms. Prices, benefits, and availability of paid features may be modified at any time, provided that such changes will not retroactively affect a purchase already completed at the time of the change.

10.3 No refunds

All purchases of Virtual Items, Passes, Boosts, or any other paid feature are final and non-refundable once completed or activated, except where required by applicable law. In exceptional circumstances — such as a verified duplicate charge or a verified technical failure that wholly prevented delivery of the purchased benefit — BytePlay may, at its sole and absolute discretion, issue a refund or credit on a case-by-case basis. The submission of a refund request creates no entitlement to, or expectation of, a refund, and our decision on any such request is final.

10.4 Payment processing

Payments are processed through third-party payment gateways. BytePlay is not responsible for errors, delays, or failures caused by such third-party processors, your bank, or your payment instrument issuer. You are responsible for ensuring your payment details are accurate and current.

10.5 No wagering

BytePlay does not offer, and these Terms do not permit, real-money wagering, betting, or prize-linked gameplay using ByteCoins or any other in-app currency or item.

Arena (Competitive Tournaments)

Arena is not currently active. Where and when launched, Arena — organized competitive tournament formats potentially involving entry fees and prize pools — will operate in compliance with India's National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and other applicable gaming and esports regulations then in force, and will be governed by separate, tournament- and format-specific terms published at the time of each Arena launch, addressing eligibility, entry fees, prize distribution, forfeiture, and conduct rules. This Section is a placeholder and creates no present right to participate in, or expectation regarding, any future Arena feature.

Third-Party Services & Game Connect

The Services may allow you to connect third-party accounts (e.g., Steam, Riot Games, Discord, or similar platforms) via Game Connect, and may contain links to or integrations with other third-party websites, applications, or services. Such third-party services are governed solely by their own terms of service and privacy policies, which you are responsible for reviewing. BytePlay does not control, endorse, and is not responsible or liable for the content, functionality, availability, security, or practices of any third-party service, and your use of any such service is entirely at your own risk. Disconnecting a third-party account from BytePlay does not delete, deactivate, or otherwise affect your account with that third-party provider.

Intellectual Property Rights

The BytePlay name, logo, "Never Play Alone" tagline, user interface, source code, design elements, and all other intellectual property comprising the Services (excluding User Content) are the exclusive property of THEBYTEPLAY PRIVATE LIMITED and are protected under applicable Indian and international intellectual-property laws, including copyright, trademark, and trade-secret law. No right, title, or licence in or to the foregoing is granted to you other than the limited, revocable, non-transferable, non-exclusive right to access and use the Services for their intended purpose, in accordance with these Terms. Any unauthorized use, copying, modification, distribution, or creation of derivative works is strictly prohibited and may be pursued to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Intellectual-Property Infringement Complaints

If you believe that any Content available through the Services infringes your intellectual-property rights, you may submit a written complaint to privacy@thebyteplay.com, including: (a) identification of the work claimed to be infringed; (b) identification of the allegedly infringing material and its location on the Services; (c) your contact details; (d) a statement of good-faith belief that the use is unauthorized; and (e) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights holder. On receipt of a valid complaint, BytePlay may remove or disable access to the identified Content in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder. We reserve the right to remove Content, suspend accounts, or take other action in response to repeated or willful infringement, at our discretion.

Privacy

Our collection, use, and disclosure of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Services, you consent to the data practices described therein.

Disclaimers of Warranties

BytePlay does not warrant that: (a) the Services will meet your requirements; (b) the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free; (c) any matchmaking result, ByteScore, statistic, or user-submitted data will be accurate, complete, or reliable; or (d) any defects will be corrected. Any material obtained through use of the Services is accessed at your own discretion and risk, and you are solely responsible for any damage resulting from such access. No advice or information, oral or written, obtained from BytePlay or through the Services creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms. Your sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with the Services is to discontinue use of the Services.

Limitation of Liability

This limitation applies without limitation to all matters arising from or related to: in-person meetups and interactions with other Users (Section 6); third-party services (Section 12); User Content; and any act or omission of any User.

Where liability cannot be fully excluded under applicable law, BytePlay's total aggregate liability to you for any and all claims arising from or related to these Terms or the Services shall not exceed the total amount, if any, actually paid by you to BytePlay in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. For Users who have made no payments to BytePlay during that period, BytePlay's liability shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and in no event shall exceed INR 1,000.

The limitations in this Section reflect an allocation of risk between you and BytePlay that is fundamental to the basis of the bargain between the parties, and shall apply notwithstanding the failure of essential purpose of any limited remedy. Nothing in these Terms shall exclude or limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable Indian law, including liability for fraud or wilful misconduct.

Indemnification

You agree, at your own expense, to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless BytePlay, its officers, directors, employees, agents, successors, and affiliates (the "Indemnified Parties") from and against any and all Losses arising out of or in connection with: (a) your access to or use of the Services; (b) your User Content; (c) your breach or alleged breach of these Terms; (d) your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party; (e) your interactions, online or in person, with any other User, including any meetup arranged through the Services; and (f) any Connected Account or third-party service you access via the Services. BytePlay reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which case you agree to cooperate fully with our defence of such claim. This indemnification obligation will survive termination of these Terms and your use of the Services.

Export Control & Sanctions Compliance

You represent that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any country or territory subject to comprehensive sanctions, and that you are not listed on any denied-party, sanctions, or restricted-party list maintained by the Government of India or any other applicable governmental authority. You agree to comply with all applicable export-control and sanctions laws in your use of the Services.

Relationship of the Parties

Nothing in these Terms creates any partnership, joint venture, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship between you and BytePlay. You have no authority to bind BytePlay in any respect.

Termination

21.1 By us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time, with or without cause, and with or without prior notice, at our sole discretion — including, without limitation, for actual or suspected violation of these Terms, safety or legal concerns, extended inactivity, or at the request of law enforcement or another governmental authority — without any liability to you.

21.2 By you

You may stop using the Services and delete your account at any time through account settings or by contacting privacy@thebyteplay.com.

21.3 Effect of termination

Upon termination, your right to access and use the Services immediately ceases. Any Virtual Items, unredeemed benefits, or Content associated with your account may be forfeited without compensation, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Sections 9.3, 10.3, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 24 shall survive termination of these Terms for any reason.

Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

22.1 Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them or the Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

22.2 Informal resolution

Before initiating any formal proceeding, you agree to first contact us at privacy@thebyteplay.com and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of written notice.

22.3 Arbitration

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Services, or their breach, termination, or validity, that is not resolved informally under Section 22.2, shall be finally resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, before a sole arbitrator mutually appointed by the parties (or, failing agreement, appointed in accordance with the Act), seated in Pune, Maharashtra, conducted in the English language. The arbitral award shall be final and binding on the parties and may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction.

22.4 Jurisdiction

Subject to Section 22.3, the courts at Pune, Maharashtra shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any matter not subject to arbitration, including applications for interim or injunctive relief.

22.5 Class action waiver

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any dispute resolution proceeding, whether in arbitration or court, shall be conducted solely on an individual basis, and you agree not to bring or participate in any claim as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding.

Force Majeure

BytePlay shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance under these Terms resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disaster, pandemic, war, terrorism, riot, governmental action, labour dispute, internet or telecommunications failure, power outage, or failure of third-party service providers or infrastructure.

Electronic Communications Consent

By using the Services, you consent to receive communications from BytePlay electronically, including via email, in-app notification, or SMS, and agree that all such communications satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

General Provisions

Entire agreement: These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and any applicable feature-specific terms constitute the entire agreement between you and BytePlay regarding the Services and supersede all prior agreements or understandings, written or oral.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

No waiver: No failure or delay by BytePlay in exercising any right under these Terms shall operate as a waiver of that right.

Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights hereunder without our prior written consent; BytePlay may freely assign these Terms, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets.

Notices: Notices to BytePlay must be sent to privacy@thebyteplay.com; notices to you may be sent to the email or contact information associated with your account.

Headings: Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

Language: These Terms are drafted in English; any translation is provided for convenience only, and the English version shall govern in the event of any conflict.

No third-party beneficiaries: Except as expressly stated, these Terms do not confer any rights or remedies on any third party.

App Store Additional Terms

If you access the Services through Apple's App Store or the Google Play Store, you acknowledge that: these Terms are between you and BytePlay only, not with Apple or Google; the applicable app-store provider has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the Services; in the event of any failure of the Services to conform to warranty, you may notify the app-store provider, which may refund the purchase price where applicable, but the app-store provider has no other warranty obligation; the app-store provider is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the Services; and the app-store provider is a third-party beneficiary of these Terms solely with respect to enforcing them against you, to the extent required by its own terms.

Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time, at our sole discretion, to reflect new features, legal or regulatory requirements, security considerations, or operational changes. Material changes will be notified via the app, website, or email, and the "Last Updated" date will be revised accordingly. Your continued use of the Services after any such update constitutes your binding acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Services.

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