Blizzard reverses “poor-shaming” SMS restriction

Blizzard reversed its decision to require a phone number to play Overwatch 2 — but only for existing accounts. New accounts still require it.

Blizzard announced that it would be removing SMS Protect for Overwatch 1 players, but keeping the restriction for new Overwatch 2 accounts. SMS Protect requires players to link their Overwatch accounts to a non-prepaid phone number, which excludes a large population who cannot afford cellphone plans.

The controversial SMS Protect requirement set the community off after it was revealed that certain phone plans would be excluded, essentially locking off large amounts of users who cannot afford the more expensive cellphone plans.

“I have Cricket Wireless [a US “prepaid” cell service.]. It’s what my family can afford. Idk what else to say. I’m not going to tell my family that we should switch because of a video game,” wrote a user on Overwatch’s Reddit. “I’ve been playing with friends and family for years, now I can’t play with any of them because of my phone plan. I’m really upset and oddly ashamed for not meeting this “standard.” Blizzard is the first company to make me feel too poor to play a game.”

blizzard isn't letting people play overwatch 2 if they have... a prepaid phone plan?? pic.twitter.com/NkVOMuFGDJ

— Jack Saint (@lackingsaint) October 5, 2022

Blizzard rolled back the requirement for existing Overwatch 1 accounts that transferred up to Overwatch 2 — but the requirement is still in place for all new accounts. The intent behind this system is to cut back on “smurfing,” a term used to identify high-skill, high-rank players who create new accounts to beat up on newer players.

“We designed Overwatch 2 to be a live service, which enables us to be responsive to a variety of player feedback. We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players. Any Overwatch player with a connected Battle.net account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play,” Blizzard posted on their official forums.

Overwatch 2’s launch has been a rough one, marred by a DDOS attack, as well as a swarm of players all trying to get in. This has caused extremely high queue times and connection issues, with many users unable to access their old heroes or costumes.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.