Overwatch 2 requires phone number to play

Overwatch 2 is coming with a lot of back-end changes, including changes to how the game is accessed and how player reports are handled.

Blizzard outlined the latest changes coming to Overwatch 2 as part of its Defense Matrix initiative, which is designed to streamline and improve the player experience — however, some eye-opening changes are coming to how the game is accessed.

In the blog, Blizzard goes deep into the Defense Matrix initiative, describing the various new systems developed to cut down on cheating, “smurfing”, and harassment/toxicity. “Smurfing” refers to when a player who has put considerable time into the game (and therefore, has a high degree of skill) creates a new account to demolish newer players and climb tiers easier.

The first, and largest, part of the initiative is “SMS Protect,” which requires all users to register their Overwatch 2 account with a real phone number in order to access the game. Notably, this excludes prepaid and VOIP numbers — so if you do not have an actual phone number, you will not be able to play the game. SMS Protect will be required for all players, new and old.

While old heroes remain unlocked for Overwatch 1 veterans, future heroes require progress in the Battle Pass to unlock. Picture: Blizzard

Next, Blizzard outlines how audio transcription features will be introduced to help combat toxicity and harassment in-game. What the system does is records a snippet of voice chat from a reported player and transcribenews it via speech-to-text programs. The audio recording is deleted shortly thereafter, and the text file is deleted 30 days later. If offending language or toxic behaviour is detected, the system will issue a punishment to the player.

New players will not be flooded with a ton of heroes to figure out — Blizzard is also introducing a First Time User Experience, or FTUE, to new players who create accounts post-launch. This system locks off most heroes from the user, and doles them out slowly over the course of 100 matches. If players want to remove the restrictions, they can join a group and get all heroes, except those locked behind the Battle Pass, unlocked.

Finally, players will be unable to join Competitive modes until they win 50 Quick Play matches first. “This gives new players time to prepare for the higher expectations that come with Competitive, while long-term players don’t feel discouraged by teammates who have less experience. In the process of unlocking Competitive, we analyse new player skill levels to optimise matchmaking in a way that feels good to everyone,” the blog reads.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.