Gearbox Software program has printed an announcement relating to the controversy surrounding modifications to dad or mum firm Take-Two’s Phrases of Service and fears that many Borderlands video games now include “spyware and adware.”

Printed straight on Steam, the place outcry has materialized within the type of review-bombing campaigns for all main Borderlands titles, the assertion’s intention is to handle considerations whereas “sustaining transparency and confidence with the neighborhood.” Which means tackling two key speaking factors which have taken over the Borderlands fanbase for months, together with fears of spyware and adware and modding crackdowns.

Gearbox makes its stance clear from the get-go: “Take-Two doesn’t use spyware and adware in its video games.” Whereas there are situations knowledge can be collected, Gearbox doesn’t need gamers to worry that their personal info is at all times up for grabs.

“Take-Two identifies these practices in its Privateness Coverage to offer transparency to gamers and adjust to its authorized obligations,” Gearbox’s Steam assertion says. “Take-Two collects this info to ship its providers to gamers, together with to guard the sport setting and participant expertise. You possibly can learn extra about this within the Privateness Coverage.”

The assertion continues: “For instance, participant and system identifiers are collected partly to make sure the sport is appropriate with every participant’s media, platform or web site browser kind. It permits us to raised perceive how gamers play video games, and to personalize the consumer expertise (like having usernames present up!). Account credentials are collected from customers who select to create accounts with Take-Two and its labels.”

It’s unclear if Gearbox’s clarification of Take-Two’s Phrases of Service can be sufficient to calm those that took up arms after the settlement was altered again in February. In the meantime, the studio’s clarification for its stance on the modding scene is pretty simple.

“Take-Two’s Phrases of Service prohibit mods that permit customers to achieve an unfair benefit, negatively impression the flexibility of different customers to benefit from the recreation as meant, or permit customers to achieve entry to content material that the consumer isn’t entitled to,” the assertion clarifies. “We do that to guard the integrity of the sport expertise for all customers.”

It is a direct response to fears that the modding neighborhood may face repercussions for any type of modding exercise, as Gearbox says Take-Two’s major concern lies with cheaters who may dampen the expertise for different gamers. The assertion goes so far as to say Gearbox’s dad or mum firm “usually doesn’t search to take motion towards mods which can be single-player solely, non-commercial, and respect the mental property (IP) rights of its labels and third events.”

Uproar started round Might of this yr when followers caught wind that Take-Two had up to date its phrases of service, affecting a lot of its present titles. Rumor that the corporate was preying on consumer knowledge shortly caught hearth, leading to a motion that noticed the Current Evaluations sections for Borderlands 1, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands 3 tank into the “Principally Destructive” and “Overwhelmingly Destructive” zones. Whereas considerations subsided for the again half of Might, fears kicked up as soon as once more when Borderlands 2 was made free to maintain (for a restricted time) on June 5.

For now, the Borderlands sequence’ Current Evaluations on Steam stay firmly within the purple. In the meantime, Gearbox is working to ship Borderlands 4 this September. You possibly can try the most recent information in addition to a little bit of gameplay by studying up on all the things introduced at its April 2025 State of Play presentation.

Michael Cripe is a contract contributor with IGN. He is greatest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. You’ll want to give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).