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Amidst Overwatch 2's launch troubles, Blizzard is backtracking on one of its more controversial decisions. Initially, all Overwatch 2 players were required to give their mobile phone numbers as part of Blizzard's SMS Protect program. This program would verify new accounts through a mobile phone number in order to stop "disruptive behaviour" and to prevent banned accounts from simply re-registering (since Overwatch 2 is now free-to-play).

In an interview with Forbes last week, Overwatch 2 lead software engineer Bill Warnecke acknowledged that the program may be too strict and that it is "totally reasonable" for players to want more than one account, but that stopping bad actors is more important. He also confirmed that Blizzard would block pay-as-you-go and VOIP numbers.

“There's some cases where a totally good player, someone who has no bad intentions, no cheating intentions, may be negatively impacted by SMS Protect if you have multiple accounts,” Warnecke said. “This is a barrier for a legitimate player. It's one that we took really seriously and deliberated a lot on as we discussed adding this feature.

The fan reaction to this news was overwhelmingly negative. There were concerns about privacy issues, as well as the lack of options for those without a mobile phone. One reddit user felt "ashamed" that he could only afford a prepaid phone plan and that "Blizzard is the first company to make me feel too poor to play a game." The program has also affected parents who may have more than one child who plays the game and doesn't have a mobile device.

Now, just two days after its launch, Blizzard has confirmed it will disable the mobile phone requirement for certain users starting tomorrow. Any players who connect their battle.net account and have played Overwatch since June 9, 2021, will not be required to provide a phone number. While it doesn't address all of the concerns with SMS Protect, it should at least help returning Overwatch players enjoy the sequel.

 

[krakenx]

My primary phone number is prepaid because it's less than half the price for the same network. My secondary phone is a VOIP number so that I can call when I travel internationaly or when I'm inside buildings with wifi and no cell signal. Both numbers are good enough for my banks to trust.

Their loss. It means I have more time to play games that are actually good.

 

[Foxi4]

It should be removed permanently and for all accounts, not just legacy ones. There’s absolutely no reason why they should have it at all. The idea that this is to stop online “bullying” and prevent “toxic players” from playing the game is even more offensive to me. In fact, the bizarre crusade to “stop toxicity” in competitive online games needs to stop - it’s ruining the fun. Back in my day this was an expected element of a match. Stuff from iD, both DOOM and Quake, had shit talking baked into the death notifications, so you always knew exactly who shoved what up where. Unreal Tournament is the most memorable of all, with a dedicated shit-talking button and pre-recorded voice lines. Oh no, someone called you a bad name? Are the players using naughty words? Here’s a thought - turn off the game and go outside - you’ve got some growing up to do. No maidens + L + touch grass.

 

[The Catboy]

In fact, the bizarre crusade to “stop toxicity”

Let's be real, the real reason for this crusade is entirely PR related. With everything that has happened, they need to pretend to be the ones who care about the wellbeing of others and all that jazz.

 

[Foxi4]

Let's be real, the real reason for this crusade is entirely PR related. With everything that has happened, they need to pretend to be the ones who care about the wellbeing of others and all that jazz.

Something tells me it’s more so about selling people’s data under the pretense of being cuddly, but who am I to judge? I’m just, y’know - not 5 years old.

 

[tsam2]

The genius that had that incredible idea needs a promotion.

 

[krakenx]

Something tells me it’s more so about selling people’s data under the pretense of being cuddly, but who am I to judge? I’m just, y’know - not 5 years old.

If they really wanted people's data, they would require an app. An app lets them get call logs, contacts, 24/7 location data, a file list of your internal storage and much much more. A phone number just let's them link an account to a name, and a credit card does that too.

 

[Foxi4]

If they really wanted people's data, they would require an app. An app lets them get call logs, contacts, 24/7 location data, a file list of your internal storage and much much more. A phone number just let's them link an account to a name, and a credit card does that too.

It’s data collection either way, not sure what your point of contention is - that they’re not requiring more? What an odd objection.