It also requires root level access and is listed as such in their TOS.

Add it while it's free, worry about root later.

I'm going to try it on my Steam Deck, I just naturally assume they already have root access.

By indicating that root access is required to play the game, and that you agree to this by agreeing to the TOS. Without agreeing, you can't play the game.

Be warned, these games have turned into literal spyware. Installing them gives 2K/Gearbox root access to your computer and collects a ridiculous amount of info.

I don't mean to be disrespectful when I say this, but I can agree that gravity pulls things up instead of down and it won't make it so. I just skimmed through the EULA and didn't find anywhere that it said it needed root level access (though maybe I missed it), nor did the executable take any action to try to do so.

It doesn’t, installing the game does. The terms of service just let you know that you are willfully infecting your computer with spyware.

Then I suppose the loophole is to play on Linux.

But can they if you are using Linux to run it?

Good thing ‍️'d copies exist of before the malware.

Yes everyone go and claim your free spyware so whiny bitchford can data mine your PC.

I wouldn't even give them the storage space tbh...just makes other people think it's ok because they can claim 'big yuge numbers of players'

It's Borderlands. They already had that claim. I don't feel good about it, but they made this change after I'd already started this trek. It's one more data point that gets me closer to only buying games on GOG, but I'm not all the way there yet. It's definitely nefarious that it's all good and legal to change the terms of the thing you bought after it's already been sold to you. However, I also don't see any evidence yet that it's actually getting root level access to your Windows machine other than someone's summary in a review, which is not exactly direct from the source.

Not in general. Typically, games with kernel level drm or anticheat just didn't work at all.

Borderlands 2 specifically has a native Linux version though, and it may or may not abuse this fact. It isn't run in a sandbox-like environment like Windows games that run through proton, but according to protondb it does run through proton? In any case yes, it's probably better than running it on Windows.

Technically, yes. WINE/Proton aren't sandboxed so it would be possible to pull some information at least. I've heard people install the flatpak version of Steam to isolate network calls using flatseal, so that's one workaround potentially.

NOTE: I'm just talking about generic data collection. The DRM/anti-cheat stuff could flag you as using Linux and then the game just refuses to run. I know the new ToS talked about banning VMs so maybe they lump linux users into that (at least for online play).

Yes, support for Borderlands 2 continued long after it was clear that Steam Machines weren't taking off, which means it's on a newer version than the Linux native one that Aspyr ported. You can still run the Linux native version, but if you want to play with your Windows friends or just get access to all the DLC, you need to run it through Proton.

But how do you play with friends again

People seem to not understand how TOS works. The game exe does not request admin permissions at all. There is no kernel level anticheat. It does not install Battleye or EAC or anything of the sort.

The TOS is not specific to this game. It just means there is at least one game by Take Two Interactive that requires this (though when I skimmed through I couldn’t find mention of it).

The game has not been updated since 2022 and I highly doubt it will get any more.

We should have the Lenny version of a subreddit where we just post what games are free this week