Borderlands 2

Had been one of my favorite games of all time, pre-ordered back before it was released, and bought the game 3 times over the years. 360, PS3, and Steam. Can't express how disappointed I am by this new attack on player's privacy. Not only is this new UELA disgusting, it cuts off already existing users from enjoying the game they paid for. This isn't even a live service game, and now you're telling me I can't play unless I agree to give you access to all my personal information, and waive my rights to legal action? What the f* is this? This game is not FREE, it's a trap to get access to information they can get from you, and use to make them more money. It's so greedy, even people who already paid aren't safe. In fact, don't agree. If you paid for the game, sue with your rights fully intact. If they don't fix it, I'm seeking a refund. You don't get to add terms to a sale after the sale was made.

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware. Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

Making the game free and then changing your terms of service to gather personal information on your players and ban mods is scummier than EA, fuck you guys.

run the game thru the launcher in the install folder and not steam to skip the stinkish new eula for the time being. you can also still get rid of the BL4 ads via borderlands hex multitool. happy hunting :D *seems as though the eula bit only works if an install location already exists :/ rest in pis

One of the best games ever made. I cannot recommend it to anyone right now due to the publisher adding spyware into an updated EULA that you have to accept to launch it, it's called forced arbitration and it's one of the scummiest things shady people want to normalize. I will not change it to a positive review until this is fixed, too bad, I had fun will all the Borderlands games in multiple devices, but will probably not play this or 4 for a long time.

Step One: Make a game Step Two: Add spyware to game Step Three: Give game a 'free' sale to attempt to install spyware on as many devices as possible Remember what we did with reviews in Helldivers? Let's do it again.

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware. Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware and much, much more: Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality. Do not consume their games until they change their EULA again, these sorta things are totally unacceptable, lets talk with our money and our reviews.

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware. they can see your payment info (debit/credit card) they can see your internet history (google searches, discord messages, ect) and billing address, phone number, user id, ect... they can/will sell this information PLEASE DO NOT BUY/INSTALL THIS GAME ON ANY OF YOUR DEVICES

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware. Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

The Review: Borderlands 2 is a great game. You should at least try it. Now, the main reason I am writing this. No, the game is not spyware. It’s a misunderstanding based on a recent update to the terms of service. What happened was the games publisher, Take Two Interactive, updated the terms of their end user license recently. Several actors in the Borderlands community misread these changes as them turning the currently released games in the franchise into literal spyware. This is not true. The games are perfectly safe to run and your data will not be stolen. The codebase for the games is unchanged, all the update did is add an advertisement for the upcoming fourth game and you have to agree to the new EUL before you can play online. That said if you feel uncomfortable playing due to this controversy or Take Two changing the EUL without your consent, I understand. I post this only to clarify the situation and will update it as needed. If you want more on the situation, this Reddit post does a good job explaining it: https:// old.reddit.com/r/Borderlands/comments/1kusnqa/new_eula_question_if_anyone_knows/mu4esbx/?context=3 QnA: Will the game spy on me? – NO. The games code base is unchanged from before the update. The game itself will not collect any information. Will I need a Kernel Level Anti-Cheat which will spy on me? - NO. You will not need to install any anti-cheat to play Borderlands 2. The update did not change this. Why has the EUL been changed? - Take Two recently bought Gearbox and thus the rights Borderlands franchise. As part of their acquisition of Gearbox, Take Two is updating all online games Gearbox to use their EUL since they host the servers now. Can I play without agreeing to the new EUL? - Yes. You will have to play the game in offline mode and cannot access multiplayer features, but you can still play without agreeing to the EUL. Will I be banned from multiplayer or sued by Take Two for using mods? - NO. The game is a 10+ year old co-op shooter. Take Two does not care if you mod it. This part of the EUL is relevant for modern releases and in active development projects such as Grand Theft Auto Online where cheating and piracy via mods is a very real problem. Will I be banned from multiplayer for using foul language? - NO. Again, this is a 10+ year old game. Take Two does not care if you trash talk your teammates. Again, this part of the EUL is relevant to more modern projects. Still, please respect your teammates. What data does the new EUL cover? - Emails, phone numbers, username, name, IP address, and passwords if relevant. If this sounds concerning, know that this is standard for many EULs where you need to create an account. You provided all this information except the latter to Steam when you created your account, Take Two just asks Steam to look at this information. The password clause is only for your Gearbox Shift account, it will not steal banking passwords or your Steam password. Edit June 6th, 2025: Clarified a few things and added a link

As someone who absolutely loves borderlands 2 ,this is a game dear to my heart .I have played it during hard times in my life and i always come back to it just to chill .I cant believe i cant even play this game anymore after what Take two and 2K have done .This game is legit just spyware now .And its crazy because this is a 13 year old game . If these ppl can have root access to my pc and have all this info about me stolen ,how about we get the content on Randy Pitchford's USB to make it fair .

Accuracy: The “spyware” label is largely speculative and not supported by technical evidence: There’s no indication that Borderlands 2’s Steam version, last updated in 2022 (per SteamDB), has been modified to include new data collection or anti-cheat software. Community claims about root-level access or collecting sensitive data like passwords and browser history lack substantiation. Anti-virus software, including Windows Defender, would likely flag such behavior, and no such reports have surfaced. Randy Pitchford’s statement reinforces that no software changes have been made to Borderlands 2 to enable invasive data collection. However, the ToS’s broad language allows Take-Two to collect significant data through online services, which fuels player distrust, especially given the lack of transparency about how data is used or shared with “business partners.” While the ToS allows for extensive data collection and includes restrictive clauses, the “spyware” and root-level access claims appear exaggerated. The data collection practices are consistent with industry standards for online services, and Borderlands 2’s age and limited online features reduce the likelihood of invasive monitoring. The primary concerns arbitration, modding restrictions, and post-purchase ToS changes are valid but not unique to Take-Two. The lack of transparency and the retroactive application of new terms to a 2012 game have amplified player distrust, especially given Gearbox’s controversial history. The claims about the ToS and data collection are largely accurate in describing the potential scope of Take-Two’s policies, but the “spyware” label and fears of root-level access are speculative and not supported by evidence for Borderlands 2’s Steam version. The data collection, modding restrictions, arbitration clauses, and other terms are standard for modern gaming but controversial for a 13-year-old game. Players should weigh the risks of online connectivity and consider offline play to minimize data exposure. Always critically evaluate such policies and avoid accepting community-driven panic without verifying technical details.

[EDIT] Edited 14 June to answer some claims from the comments, I will put an [EDIT] where I had to add clarifications. Lets just change the rules for no reason at all. EULA states in point 2.3 that you cannot modify the game (aka create mods). [EDIT] Here is the passage, I removed some stuff not related to modding, you can compare to the EULA if you want: "... The limited license granted in this Agreement does not give you any right to, and you may not, ...,modify, create derivative works, ...,or otherwise exploit the Services (including the Content), ... unless subject to separate, express written terms provided by Take-Two permitting such conduct" EULA states at section 17 that the US is a corporate dystopia (forced arbitration) [EDIT] Yes I say forced, because nobody will do the opt-out, from the EULA: ".. If you wish to opt-out, you must notify us in writing within 30 days of the date that you first accept this Agreement (“Opt-Out Notice”) unless a longer period is required by applicable law" EULA sates at multiple points it can collect your data, as legalese is made to scam normal people, I cannot tell with certitude if it lets them just get the data form your computer or if its not just the data needed to create an account. Some people say it's not a big deal, that the game itself actually doesn't enforce it or ever will, so its perfectly ok. I disagree, If it lets them, but they will never do it, Why change the EULA in the first place? Some people will say that reacting now while the EULA has been changed in February is dumb, and not valid. You can look around, it's an argument that is being made. Obviously you can react whenever, there is not a rules that says you have to be aware of everything at the second it happens. [EDIT] The EULA was last updated February 28, 2025, as stated in the EULA: "Last Updated: February 28, 2025" If the game didn't have this EULA 13 years ago, it doesn't need it now. Obviously like all the EULA stuff, it is rarely enforced, and is just a sad reality of modern gaming. It doesn't change anything about the game, which is still good. [EDIT] Yes my review is positive, because the game is good, and it didn't change. I don't see why I should have a negative review just because the EULA is the same as all other modern games. Yes it sucks they changed it, but it's not a dealbreaker to me.

Get this game on an older console if you want to play it. It's extremely telling that the updated EULA requiring root level access to your PC and explicitly allowing them to collect data on almost everything about you and your PC (except your age and gender) coincides with them making the game free. Shows where they REALLY think the money is

Should be illegal to change ToS on non-live service game. Thanks for ruining one of my favorite games despite not even being shooter guy.

By god is this fun, but BY GOD is that EULA disgusting. Get it free, play offline. Not just singleplayer; literally turn off internet or install a mod that disables online features. Plenty of other reviews show off the bad points of the Take/2K EULA, so you won't have to go far to see how creepy it is. Much love <3

I played this game with zero problem years ago and found it sorta boring and left it at that. Now, apparently a game that I 'supposedly' OWN, now has new 3rd party launcher requirements, a new EULA, and wants root level access to my PC in order to play it. At this point, what the hell is even the point in purchasing games? Anything you own apparently can just be reshaped into spyware at a moment's notice, and you have zero say in it. I can already forsee consumer rights organizations getting involved in this BS. Either way, screw randy and screw gearbox. Never again.

Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware. Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

I love when old games get updates. This is the shittiest corporate fuck i've witnessed in a long time. 2k was something that meant great games to me. Now it stinks of greeeed. No more borderlands for me. Too bad.

Borderlands aka Take-two and 2K games have updated their games even their older games. THIS INCLUDES COLLECTS USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS, IP LOCATIONS AND BROWSER HISTORY DATA. Important Info in ToS: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration so long as it is permitted in your region • You can be banned for the using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC • Best last they reserve the right to modify this Agreement, in whole or in part, at any time Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

[b]Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware.[b] Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) And the real kicker: [b]• Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.[b] Honestly, was pretty good, but not worth it for the spyware it adds to your PC.

Do not fall for the free giveaway, this game includes spyware that steals just about any kind of information you can have on your PC. This is extremely invasive and should be illegal.

Why do video game publishers and/or developers think they are entitled access to private data? Make video games, FFS, get out of the legal and data mining business. Added to my "Never Play Again" list.

Its a shame, this is the best borderlands in the series. But these publishers and developers by extension are pushing disgusting anti consumer practices. Ive had this game for a long time and planned to revisit it in the near future but not anymore. As others have said "they have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into literal spyware." which is sadly true. Also doesnt help that one a player learns about Gearbox's CEO, Randy Pitchford and his general modus operandi to gamers as a whole is never a really good look.

Players already had to deal with advertisements in a single player game and now you're somehow enforcing new ToS over a product that, as it seems, we don't really own at the end of the day. It's literally safer at this point to pirate your shit than to pay you and get fucked anyways. But hey, burn it all to the ground, the "real fans" already know what's up, so what does it matter.

[h1] It's an okay game. [/h1] Terms of Assertion and Expression Regarding Negative Reviews of Video Games Version 1.0 — Effective Immediately and Retroactively Jurisdiction: The Entire Internet 1. Preamble This document constitutes a binding assertion of rights by the undersigned ("ItsHords") to publicly and permanently express negative opinions about any video game whose publishers, developers, or affiliated entities implement predatory, deceptive, or privacy-invasive Terms of Service or End User License Agreements (EULAs). These terms are self-ratifying, irrevocable, and universally enforceable via the Court of Public Opinion. 2. Scope of Criticism ItsHords reserves the unrestricted and non-transferable right to issue critical commentary, including but not limited to one-star reviews, formal complaints, social media posts, and comprehensive breakdowns concerning any video game or digital platform that engages in the following practices: [list] [*] 2.1. Surveillance Software in Disguise Implementation of always-on anti-cheat, telemetry, or behavioral tracking systems in single-player or offline experiences, under the pretense of "security" or "analytics," without clear opt-out mechanisms. [*] 2.2. Data-for-Access Gatekeeping Requiring players to surrender excessive personal information, link third-party accounts, or consent to vague and overreaching data collection in order to access content already purchased. [*] 2.3. DRM Hostage Tactics Deploying intrusive Digital Rights Management (DRM) tools that prevent lawful access to purchased software, or that render games unplayable due to remote server authentication failures, outages, or revoked licenses. [*] 2.4. Coercive EULAs Presenting End User License Agreements that strip users of basic rights (e.g., class action participation, privacy, or data ownership) through forced arbitration, clickwrap consent, or retroactive amendments without notice. [*] 2.5. Obsolescence by Policy Designing Terms of Service that allow the publisher to revoke access, modify game functionality, or terminate support at any time for any reason, thereby rendering ownership meaningless. [*] 2.6. Excessive Platform Entanglement Mandating the use of redundant or invasive third-party launchers and services as a condition for play, often layering multiple agreements and conflicting privacy terms. [/list] 3. Expression Rights The Reviewer affirms an inalienable right to: [list] [*] Publish negative reviews based solely on the terms of use, irrespective of gameplay quality. [*] Decline updates or patches that alter agreed-upon terms post-purchase. [*] Criticize practices affecting consumer rights, even if such practices are "industry standard." [*] Maintain public archives of removed, censored, or flagged critical commentary. [/list] This right applies across all platforms, including but not limited to Steam, GOG & EPIC Games Store 4. No Obligation of Fairness The Reviewer is under no legal, moral, or philosophical obligation to "see both sides" when the opposing side is actively undermining user autonomy, digital ownership, or basic data ethics. Attempted guilt-tripping by community managers shall be considered inadmissible. 5. Limitations of Liability The Reviewer is not liable for: [list] [*] Financial losses incurred by publishers due to critical public response. [*] Community backlash arising from exposed EULA clauses. [*] Reputational damage to studios caused by their own legal documents. [*] The emotional distress of PR teams facing consequences of their policies. [/list] 6. Dispute Resolution All disputes shall be resolved via public forum debate, independent media scrutiny, or spirited engagement in the Comment Section. Under no circumstances will binding arbitration in publisher-friendly jurisdictions be recognized. 7. Final Provisions These Terms are effective permanently, irrevocably, and without amendment. Any attempt by a publisher to suppress, intimidate, or silence the Reviewer will trigger immediate escalation of criticism, including but not limited to FOIA requests (where applicable), broader media exposure, and expert legal commentary. Signed: ItsHords, Private Citizen, Consumer, and Digital Rights Advocate Witnessed by: Anyone who’s ever had to scroll through a 47-page EULA just to play a $60 gam

Changing ToS of a 13 y.o game, putting kernel level drive on it goddahm eet root access to pc? Something fishy going on here

Until they revert the new TOS this game should be removed from steam, literal spyware.

If you're a fan of the Borderlands series I highly suggest this game as it has stayed in my top 3 favorite games of all time for YEARS now and will likely never drop from there. 2k games captured lightning in a bottle with this game and whether you got some pals to shoot n loot with or you just enjoy a solo experience, you'll have an absolute blast playing. That being said, in light of recent events, I highly urge you to please please PLEASE do your research on what the EULA changes actually are and how they impact you as a consumer. Now I'm no corporate shill by any means, in fact I'm an avid hater of DRM and I've been crashing out these past few days about the Nintendo anti-consumer BS that I'm sure most of us are aware of. But I feel the need to call out when people are just throwing the most insane tantrums over some of the most non-issue stuff I've ever seen and this is one of those moments. Long story short, unless you consider some of the most basic data collecting features present on just about EVERY video game platform to be spyware, Take Two and 2k Games are NOT -- may I repeat it -- NOT downloading spyware on your systems. This is literally an insane fear tactic being used by people who I would be willing to bet have not even read the EULA, they likely saw their favorite youtuber misinterpret everything and decided to back them up on it. It doesn't even take a high school degree to read the ToS and EULA changes and understand that they are simply being transparent and are aligning themselves with some of the most common industry practices. Things like collecting hardware data, user account identifiers, audio/visual information, etc. are NOT NEW AND ARE INCREDIBLY NORMAL, you would be hard pressed to find games that don't already collect this data. And the ones that do? 99% of its use case is to improve YOUR user experience. It helps ensure the game runs properly on your setup (hardware data), helps market to your preferences (user account identifiers), and can even be used to help identify abusive and harmful users on their platform (audio/visual data). In fact, if there is any one shady thing included in these changes, it would be the forced arbitration clause to try and prevent class-action lawsuits. While this is inherently shady, I will still urge that this is a relatively common legal practice a lot of companies do. However, that doesn't make it any less weird and also ineffective as all hell, because there has not been even a single time that has ever stood up in court (at least, not in U.S. Courts). So if you want to throw tomatoes at them for that, be my guest, because that is genuinely shady and should be condemned/criticized. I won't go into intense detail about the changes because not only would that take forever, I want to reinforce that people should **really start doing proper research and not immediately take anything that a youtuber or some Steam reviewer says as immediate fact** and that includes me. Read the damn ToS and EULA agreements and form your own opinion, and if you come to the conclusion that this is still too much for you?? So be it, but then I got bad news for ya bud, you're gonna need to sail the high seas for literally every game you play, because this has been the reality for well over a decade. TL;DR: Game good, highly recommend. Do your own research before jumping on a bandwagon. Thank you.

EULA Changes = Spyware. I saw another comment you can launch the game in such a way to avoid it but alas cant recommend such a invasion of privacy, especially a 13 year old game.

🔒 WARNING: This game (and all others from Take-Two/2K) now includes invasive Terms of Service. As of the latest update, the publisher has completely changed how their games function in the background. It’s no exaggeration to say these games are now functioning as spyware. 🚫 What the new Terms include: Modding? Ban. Using or even showing exploits? Ban. Connecting with a VPN? Ban. Running the game on a Virtual Machine? Not allowed. If you're in the U.S. (or almost anywhere besides AU, UK, CH, or EEA), you're forced into arbitration and waive rights to jury trials and class actions. 📡 What they collect from you: Full ID info: Name, username, gamertag, email, phone number, address, device ID, IP, etc. Your age & gender. Payment details like your card info and shipping address. Every click, scroll, and interaction in-game, online, and across devices. App usage, browsing behavior, even what other software is installed. Inferences and profiles based on all of the above to target ads/services. Voice, chat, gameplay footage (especially during playtests). Sensitive stuff like exact location, login credentials, and private messages. 🛑 This is beyond standard data collection. It's surveillance disguised as a game. If privacy matters to you—even a little—stay far away. 👍 Fun game? Maybe. 👎 Worth trading your digital freedom for? Absolutely FUCKING not.

If you need more data, buy it from google or microsoft, but don't spy on my machine. It is interesting that such moves make piracy more and more appealing among gamers.

>changes their EULA to allow spyware ︀︀>makes their best game free on steam ︀︀>people realize its spyware Don't get this spyware

One of my favorite games ever, was excited to get my wife to claim it for free and play with me. I found out about 2K turning it into spyware from the Steam reviews here. Fuck you 2K, nice try getting some good PR, hope your stock value has a Duke Nukem Forever moment.

They updated their Usage Policy Terms in order to collect as much information on the game users as possible, being live information, adress, credit card numbers and more personal informations. Then they put the game for free in order to collect those datas. Such predatory behavior is unacceptable and should be reported so everyone knows.

The game is alright, not the best but overall enjoyable. However the obnoxious moaning of Bitchford manchild guy and the recent Take Two EULA policy changes which turned the game into literal spyware should be enough to make me not recommend this game.

Don't get this game, the eula is spyware, root level access. 2k/Take 2 who wants your personal data, location and whatever they can scrape off your pc that'll probably be sold off to some random company.

Claim it, don't install it, once they roll back their new BS, then go for it, can't recommend it until then

Before picking up this game because it's free please note that as of June 2025 this game is literaly spyware which collects your information. Fuck modern gaming.

I really appreciate how they're clearly showing that any Borderlands game can no longer be trusted. Thank you 2K for confirming I should not buy BL4 at any point, for any price (yes, even free) because they can get abusive EULA and terms. Game was pretty good for its time, it's over now, Just like RoR 2, the Dung touch follows these people.

At this point, I'd get less malware if I just pirated the game Thanks, 2K, for the EULA change

I played Borderlands 2 when it came out and had a lot of fun memories with it. The game is great and unique, probably one of the best co-op games ever released. It's very sad to see a greedy company destroy this great franchise by trying to take advantage of its fan base. The new EULA terms essentially makes the game into a spyware that collects all sorts of personal info from your computer. To make those changes and then distribute the game for free right after, in order to make a few more bucks by selling user data is a despicable move. I'm glad the community caught up to it and everyone is spreading the word. 2K won't ever see a dime from me again and I hope other users share the same feeling.

New update added spyware. Soooooooooooooooooo... Randy Pitchford 2018 USB stick incident. Look it up. Don't even play 4, it's not worth your data being farmed and sold to the highest bidder.

I absolutely CAN NOT recommend a game that is practically a malware at this stage.

Gotta love when a piece of [redacted] publisher decides to ruin a perfectly good game with ToS/EULA updates. Honestly in my opinion sufficiently bad 3rd party EULA's/ToS should result in a game being removed from sale on Steam, you also didn't need a 3rd party account to play this when I did.

I want to start by saying Borderlands 1,2 and 3 are all very good games. So why the overwhelming negative reviews recently? Unfortunately Take-Two and 2K games have updated all their games Terms of Service, turning this game as well as all of their other games into spyware. Important Info in Terms of Service: • Mods are a bannable offense • Display of Cheats/Exploits is bannable • Forced arbitration clause and a waiver of class action and jury trial rights for all users residing in the United States and any other territory other than Australia, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, or The Territories of The European Economic Area • You can be banned for using a VPN while connecting to online servers • Cannot access game content on a Virtual PC Collected Data Types: • Identifiers / Contact Information: Name, user name, gamertag, postal and email address, phone number, unique IDs, mobile device ID, platform ID, gaming service ID, advertising ID (IDFA, Android ID) and IP address • Protected Characteristics: Age and gender • Commercial Information: Purchase and usage history and preferences, including gameplay information • Billing Information: Payment information (credit / debit card information) and shipping address • Internet / Electronic Activity: Web / app browsing and gameplay information related to the Services; information about your online interaction(s) with the Services or our advertising; and details about the games and platforms you use and other information related to installed applications • Device and Usage Data: Device type, software and hardware details, language settings, browser type and version, operating system, and information about how users use and interact with the Services (e.g., content viewed, pages visited, clicks, scrolls) • Profile Inferences: Inferences made from your information and web activity to help create a personalized profile so we can identify goods and services that may be of interest • Audio / Visual Information: Account photos, images, and avatars, audio information via chat features and functionality, and gameplay recordings and video footage (such as when you participate in playtesting) • Sensitive Information: Precise location information (if you allow the Services to collect your location), account credentials (user name and password), and contents of communications via chat features and functionality.

I have multiple mods installed and in the last week i have been playing heavily while in multiplayer, no ban was received. in the last 4 days i have multiple times used a save editor, duping exploits & other glitches, no ban. all of this while using a VPN mind you, and guess what, no ban! There is no spyware that is just false. Please stop hoping on a bandwagon train based on a false narrative, please go read the EULA and 2k/T2s response before you down vote this game.

If you like giving in to their outrageous ToS, allowing them to sell your data and limiting your legal recourse for any reason they decide, then go for it.

Recently adding Anti cheat for a single player game? Taking your data? Sounds fishy