Blizzard drops SMS Protect requirement for returning Overwatch players

Overwatch 2 did not have the smooth launch that Blizzard was hoping for. A mix of high player numbers and a DDOS attack led to service outages, with many struggling to get into the game. In addition, Overwatch 2 also began requiring a phone number, both for additional security via 2FA, but also in an effort to better curb toxicity in online lobbies. Now after just one day, Blizzard is dropping the phone number requirement, at least for some players.

A few games have tried to improve matchmaking by tying game accounts to an active phone number. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive might be the best example, allowing players to add a phone number to their account for ‘Prime' matchmaking. With Overwatch 2, Blizzard didn't have a ‘Prime' matchmaking pool, but the new phone number system would help combat smurf accounts, as well as give Blizzard more tools to keep suspended or banned players from skirting around the rules.

Unfortunately, SMS Protect had its share of issues. For instance, players could not use pre-paid phones or VOIP numbers with their accounts. This potentially locks out a large chunk of players for trivial reasons, such as not having an expensive multi-year phone plan. The phone number requirement also applied to those who previously owned Overwatch 1. Given that Blizzard just ripped away access to the original game for millions of paying customers, being blocked from the F2P sequel due to strict phone number requirements was always going to cause issues.

The SMS Protect system isn't going away entirely. However, anyone who played Overwatch from June 9th 2021 to now will be excluded and will not have to provide a phone number in order to play Overwatch 2. According to Blizzard, this should cover the majority of existing Overwatch players.

This change will go live on Friday. Brand new accounts will still have to use SMS Protect in order to play.

Elsewhere in the blog post, Blizzard also added that it is continuing to add nodes to the network to deal with the log-in queue problem, but due to technical reasons, this is a slow process. By the weekend, it should be easier to get into Overwatch 2 without the connection dropping out.

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KitGuru Says: If you are security conscious and already have 2FA set up on battle.net, then chances are you won't have had any issues with phone number requirements in OW2.

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