Borderlands 4 exploded out of the gate on September 12, 2025, pulling in a massive audience. According to SteamDB, the looter-shooter reached a peak of 304,398 concurrent players, signaling one of the year’s biggest PC launches. The celebration has been tempered, however, by a wave of player concerns over privacy and data collection sparked by a recent change to the game’s end-user license agreement.
The controversy traces back to an update to the EULA that asked players to grant access to certain information, including details like name and IP address. That language set off alarms across the community, with some accusing the publisher of using the game to spy on users—a fear that has only grown louder since Borderlands 4 landed.
In response, the publisher and developers addressed the accusations on the Steam forums, firmly denying any use of invasive tools. Their message was clear: “Take-Two does not use spyware in its games.” They explained that the privacy policy applies across all labels, studios, games, and services, covering platforms such as console, PC, mobile apps, and websites. The policy outlines the types of data activities that may occur, but the company emphasized that this does not mean every game or service collects all listed data points.
According to the statement, these disclosures exist to maintain transparency and meet legal obligations. The data that is collected is used to deliver services to players and help protect the in-game environment and overall player experience. The team reiterated that more information can be found in the privacy policy for those who want a deeper breakdown.
For players, the core message is that there’s no spyware in Borderlands 4, and the privacy policy is broad by design to cover multiple products and platforms. Whether that reassurance puts the matter to rest remains to be seen. As the game continues to surge in popularity, the conversation around data collection, player privacy, and what’s considered acceptable in modern online games is likely to continue. If you’re concerned about what’s collected and why, reviewing the in-game settings and the privacy policy is the best way to understand how your information is handled.
