Borderlands games are still being review bombed on Steam following Take-Two terms of service backlash, but modders say "the main clause everyone's freaking out about was already there"
"There's been a lot of misinformation and fearmongering," one modder says

One of the biggest controversies currently rocking the Borderlands community stems from an update to Gearbox and 2K owner Take-Two Interactive's privacy policy and terms of service, which has led some fans to worry about the collection of their personal data, among other concerns. However, two prominent modders are now trying to reassure fans that the situation might not be as concerning as it first appeared.
Although Take-Two's latest update to its terms of service and privacy policy was released in February, concerns were raised among fans only recently, when they were greeted with the agreements upon loading their Borderlands games. These have ranged from concerns about the collection of data, such as accounts and telephone numbers, to more extreme allegations that the games could somehow function like "spyware" if users agree to the updated terms.
All this has led to a widespread review bombing of the games on Steam. Right now, Borderlands 2 is being offered for free for a limited time, but the recent reviews have been flooded with complaints about the terms of service. Now, though, two prominent Borderlands modders are trying to reassure the fanbase that there's "nothing new" about the agreement in the first place, and it certainly shouldn't have an impact on any game modding.
"I'm sure with thousands of new players trying Borderlands 2 for the first time, I'm bound to be asked 'What about the TOS?!,'" Borderlands modder Epic (the same person leading the effort to revive the Borderlands Online MMO) writes on Twitter. "I've told people it's nothing new many times before. But don't just take my word for it, here is trusted modder Apple's statement on it."
I'm sure with thousands of new players trying Borderlands 2 for the first time, I'm bound to be asked "What about the TOS?!"I've told people it's nothing new many times before.But don't just take my word for it, here is trusted modder Apple's statement on it :D pic.twitter.com/lLAZoHwZFjJune 5, 2025
Epic shares a Discord message from Apple1417, who's created a number of mods before for the Borderlands games. "Recently there's been a lot of misinformation and fearmongering concerning the new 2K TOS," they write. "Rest assured, there is nothing different about it compared to what was there previously – the main clause everyone's freaking out about was already there.
"It will not have any effect on Borderlands modding," they continue, adding: "We'll remind you the Gearbox forums used to have a modding section, all the way since [Borderlands 1], they've never even taken any steps against it, let alone legal action. So please, don't worry about it."
Whether this will serve to calm down anxious fans is another matter, though. After all, the number of negative reviews on Borderlands 2 has only risen since being offered for free, despite the fact that the backlash started weeks ago, and even back then, some fans suggested that people were "overreacting" to the whole thing.
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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
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