Blizzard introduced final week that each one Overwatch 2 gamers shall be required to connect a cellphone quantity to their Battle.web accounts as a way to play the sport. The requirement was added as a part of Blizzard’s effort to fight toxicity and abuse within the recreation. However there’s one main downside: The brand new 2FA system, referred to as SMS Shield, won’t settle for sure kinds of numbers, “together with pay as you go and VOIP.” This understandably induced a stir, as a result of it successfully meant that in case you personal a pay as you go cellphone, you possibly can’t play Overwatch.
It is a baffling transfer. Requiring a cellphone quantity for ranked play is nothing new—Dota 2 (opens in new tab) carried out such a coverage means again in 2017 and Rainbow Six Siege (opens in new tab) has the identical requirement—however demanding one to entry the sport in any respect, and excluding a big chunk of potential gamers primarily based solely on their alternative of cellphone plan, is a completely totally different degree of restrictiveness. The backlash towards the coverage was sturdy sufficient that Blizzard shortly eased the cellphone quantity requirement (opens in new tab) for some Overwatch gamers.
But Overwatch 2 is not the one recreation rolling with that rule: It seems that the upcoming Trendy Warfare 2 desires the identical factor.
The cellphone notifications web page (opens in new tab) on the Battle.web assist web site states that Trendy Warfare 2, Overwatch 2, and “newly created” Trendy Warfare accounts all require a cellphone quantity as a way to permit entry.
“Including a cellphone quantity will permit Blizzard Leisure to ship you notifications when necessary modifications are made to your account,” the web page states. “Any cell phone in a supported nation with an information plan, and that isn’t pay as you go or a VOIP quantity, can be utilized with this service.”
That appears pretty definitive, though the scenario is confused considerably additional down the web page, the place it says that “cell phones with pay as you go plans could not work with the cellphone notification service.” However that is in direct reference to cellphone notifications from Battle.web and never recreation entry.
Some gamers are undoubtedly being locked out: One Name of Responsibility fan from Florida informed PC Gamer that after putting in the Trendy Warfare 2 beta in September, they had been requested for a “post-paid cellphone quantity” as a way to begin it. Battle.web refused to just accept their pay as you go cellphone quantity—they’re with Cricket Wi-fi, which has additionally reportedly failed with Overwatch 2—and they also had been unable to play.
“This appears very improper to require videogame gamers to enter right into a contract with a telecom firm earlier than being allowed to play the sport they paid for,” they mentioned. “Particularly when pay as you go cellphone plans like mine have gotten an increasing number of widespread. It isn’t the fuel station particular of yesteryear anymore, I’ve an iPhone and a cellphone plan that works no totally different in follow than every other contract plan: Limitless speak, textual content, information and many others. But as a result of I make a month-to-month fee I’m in some way ineligible to play future Activision titles?”
It’s undoubtedly unusual, and Blizzard’s determination to drop the cellphone requirement for some present Overwatch accounts does nothing in regards to the restriction on pay as you go telephones. That leaves newcomers to Overwatch 2, and anybody who desires to play Trendy Warfare 2, out of luck if they’ve a pay as you go plan. I’ve reached out to Activision Blizzard for touch upon the cellphone requirement, and can replace if I obtain a reply.
