Gearbox Denies Spyware Claims Amid Borderlands Review-Bombing

Gearbox Software has released an official statement addressing concerns surrounding recent changes to Take-Two Interactive’s updated Terms of Service, which sparked widespread backlash across the Borderlands community. The statement was published directly on Steam, where many players have launched coordinated review-bombing campaigns against major Borderlands titles. Its goal is to “maintain transparency and confidence with the community,” directly responding to two primary issues fueling player anxiety—fears of embedded spyware and perceived modding restrictions.

Right from the outset, Gearbox sets the record straight: “Take-Two does not use spyware in its games.” While data collection is indeed part of the process, the developer reassures players that personal information is not being harvested without cause or consent.

“Take-Two identifies these practices in its Privacy Policy to provide transparency to players and comply with its legal obligations,” reads the statement. “Take-Two collects this information to deliver its services to players, including to protect the game environment and player experience. You can read more about this in the Privacy Policy.”

The message elaborates further, explaining that certain data such as player and device identifiers are gathered to ensure compatibility across different platforms and browsers. It also helps developers better understand how users interact with their games, enabling a more personalized experience—like automatically displaying your username, for example. Additionally, account credentials are collected only from players who opt to create accounts with Take-Two or its affiliated labels.

Whether this clarification will be enough to ease tensions remains uncertain, especially after months of speculation and frustration following the revised agreement introduced back in February. Meanwhile, Gearbox's stance on modding is laid out with equal clarity.

“Take-Two’s Terms of Service prohibit mods that allow users to gain an unfair advantage, negatively impact the ability of other users to enjoy the game as intended, or grant access to unauthorized content,” the statement explains. “We do this to protect the integrity of the game experience for all users.”

This is a direct rebuttal to fears circulating within the modding community—that any form of modding could soon be penalized. Gearbox clarifies that Take-Two’s main concern lies with cheating tools and disruptive modifications that harm the multiplayer ecosystem. In fact, the company states it “generally does not seek to take action against mods that are single-player only, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of its labels and third parties.”

The controversy initially gained momentum around May of this year when players noticed updates to Take-Two’s service terms affecting numerous titles under its portfolio. Fears of invasive data tracking spread rapidly, prompting a wave of negative reviews for Borderlands 1, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands 3. Although the backlash quieted slightly during late May, concerns reignited when Borderlands 2 was offered for free—for a limited time—on June 5.

As of now, the Recent Reviews section for Borderlands titles on Steam continues to reflect a largely negative sentiment. Amid the ongoing discourse, Gearbox is preparing to launch Borderlands 4 this September. Fans can stay informed by checking out the latest reveals and gameplay details shared during the April 2025 State of Play presentation.