Blizzard’s plans to neutralize player toxicity in Overwatch 2 include a crucial step of recording all in-game voice chat. (opens in new tab)but it’s the somewhat less dramatic changes that ultimately can cause the most headaches and controversies.
Called SMS Protect, all Overwatch 2 players on all platforms must have a phone number associated with their Battle.net account in order to play the game. It’s his 2FA system, which is fairly basic, but the idea is to not only help players protect their accounts, but also give Blizzard more control over who can access Overwatch 2.
“SMS Protect helps verify account ownership in the event of an account compromise.” Blizzard Said (opens in new tab)“Similarly, if a disruptive player is suspended or banned, SMS Protect will make it more difficult for them to return to the game.”
The problem is that SMS Protect excludes certain players for reasons unrelated to their in-game behavior. A separate number is required for each Battle.net account, potentially excluding households with multiple of his Overwatch fans and shared phone lines. This can lock out the majority of people, especially younger players who are unable or unwilling to sign up for multi-year phone contracts, even if they have unique phone numbers. As a final kick inside, the requirement holds even if you bought the original Overwatch at full price.
“I’ve been playing Overwatch since day one and I love it. That’s why I enjoy playing competitive games in the first place,” said the redditor. wave phoenix (opens in new tab) I have written. “A few days before launch, I wanted to link my phone number to my account. I looked it up and I’m devastated that I can’t play because I have a prepaid plan. I can do it.”1 Not only did I change my phone plan for one game, now I think I will never play it despite paying, playing all the betas and being a fan over the years. increase. ”
“So… in a household with only one phone number… what if there are multiple people?” chrome glow (opens in new tab) asked. “Blizzard really doesn’t expect people to get another phone number just to play the game, does it?”
“I have a Cricket Wireless. It’s something my family can afford. I don’t know what else to say.” RL macrobin (opens in new tab) I have written. “I don’t tell my family that I have to switch because of video games. I can’t play Overwatch right now. This is really sad. I’ve played it with friends and family for years and now I can’t play with any of them because of my phone plan.”
Nocron (opens in new tab) I posted an image of trying to add a phone number and getting rejected.
“This is no good!” they wrote. “I can’t even play the games I paid for because of my phone plan.” (They later revealed they paid for Overwatch 1, but now have no choice. (opens in new tab) But move on to Overwatch 2. )
To make the situation even more confusing, some prepaid plans appear to work despite Blizzard’s policy.Overwatch 2 Reviewer (opens in new tab) All-around good guy Tyler Colp said he uses prepaid Mint Mobile, the SMS Protect system works fine with it, and he knows other users who have had success with it.Editor sophie bear (opens in new tab) It also says SMS Protect can be used with another prepaid system, Tello Mobile.
TV dramas portray prepaid mobile phones as tools for criminals and spies, but the reality is less sensational.February 2022 report from research and market (opens in new tab)For example, prepaid mobile services in the United States “have become increasingly competitive in recent years as they evolve to offer features and plans that are on par with postpaid services,” he said. The dominant trend towards wireless is increasingly rivaling postpaid wireless.”
Even now, the number is enormous.November 2020 Report from fierce wireless (opens in new tab) said there were approximately 74 million prepaid users in the US as of the third quarter of 2020. This is a very large number of calls and the number will not decrease.
Some players in Overwatch 2 (probably unaffected by the system) have used the It actually states that it supports restrictions. And hopefully it’s generally toxic because it makes recovering from an account ban much harder than it used to be. That may be true, but it may not be worth ruling out legitimate players.
Given the backlash, I wouldn’t be surprised if Blizzard changes this policy or removes it entirely. I will update if I get a reply.
