Borderlands 4 devs assure Steam users that "Take-Two does not use spyware in its games" as Gearbox tries to avoid another review bombing over the parent company's unpopular new user agreement

Borderlands 4 is finally here – Gearbox Software and 2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, saw the release of the long-awaited action RPG yesterday… but already want to get ahead of any potential issues PC players may have with Take-Two's user agreement on Steam.

For anyone unaware, the Borderlands series was review bombed just months ago following a new user agreement from Take-Two. Fans dubbed the games "spyware," prompting Gearbox to respond and assure players that the holding company "does not use spyware" on Steam. It's been some time now, but the concerns are still fresh on some folks' minds – and the developer wants to put them to rest before a similar can of worms is opened with Borderlands 4.

In a new announcement on Steam, the studio addresses worries surrounding the agreement. "We know there have been some concerns from fans about Take-Two's Terms of Service," it writes. "Maintaining transparency and confidence with the community here is always our goal, and we wanted to address some of these concerns."

Gearbox then promises "Take-Two does not use spyware in its games" – perhaps the greatest worry of all.

"Take-Two's Privacy Policy applies to all labels, studios, games, and services across all media and platform types such as console, PC, mobile app, and website," the dev continues. "The Privacy Policy identifies the data activities that may be collected, but this does not mean that every example is collected in each game or service. Take-Two identifies these practices in its Privacy Policy to provide transparency to players and comply with its legal obligations."

Gearbox explains that "Take-Two collects this information to deliver its services to players, including to protect the game environment and player experience" – not for any nefarious reason. "For example, player and device identifiers are collected in part to ensure the game is compatible with each player's media, platform, or website browser type. It allows us to better understand how players play games, and to personalize the user experience."

The dev offers another example of collected data: "Account credentials are collected from users who choose to create accounts with Take-Two and its labels." Its statement doesn't end with privacy concerns, however. It concludes with a message regarding "abusive mods" as well – ones that "allow users to gain an unfair advantage, negatively impact the ability of other users to enjoy the game as intended, or allow users to gain access to content that the user is not entitled to."

Closing with assurance that the publisher does this "to protect the integrity of the game experience for all users," the studio says, "Take-Two 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." It's a lot to take in, but admittedly, the announcement does seem to cover most points players review bombing past Borderlands entries made.

Here's hoping that's enough to smooth things over. Our own Borderlands 4 review describes the new Gearbox title as "undeniably an excellent looter shooter," so it's safe to say that aside from any agreement-related hiccups, it could stand as one of the best Borderlands games.

Playing through the new action RPG yourself? Be sure to check our Borderlands 4 tips for a smooth start in Kairos.