'Overwatch 2' will no longer require former players to verify their phone number
Even Blizzard admitted that the launch of Overwatch 2 didn't live up to anyone's expectations. In a new post detailing the latest status updates for the game's rollout, the company apologized to its players and discussed the long list of issues it has faced since the game went live. first person shooter. One of the biggest updates it brings to the game removes the need for former players to link their phone numbers to Battle.net in order to play. As long as they have a connected Battle.net account, which covers all players who have accessed the first Overwatch since June 9, 2021, they are exempt from this requirement.
Blizzard originally created SMS Protect, which requires players to link a phone number to their Battle.net accounts, a requirement to access Overwatch to make it harder for players to people from cheating or trolling others. However, this doesn't always work with numbers associated with prepaid plans, and therein lies the problem. While some Mint customers have been able to link their numbers to SMS Protect just fine, Cricket players seem to be locked out of the game altogether. As Kotaku reports, fans feel like they're being punished or ashamed of being "poor".
The developer is removing the requirement in response, and expects the change to be implemented on October 7th. Blizzard, however, said it remains "committed to combating disruptive behavior", which is why new accounts and old ones who have never been logged into Battle.net before will still need to meet the SMS Protect requirements to be able to to play.
The company has also made changes to simplify the queuing process, so players no longer see their queue numbers jump from hundreds to tens of thousands and vice versa. Additionally, it is working to make connections more stable to prevent players from being removed from queues or being able to connect at all. A server update that is also in progress will reduce the chances of players being disconnected once they are already in the game. Regarding missing items, Blizzard explained that the issue is due to a merge of incomplete account or items simply taking longer to transfer from the old game.
These issues, Blizzard said in its announcement, were "exacerbated by DDoS attacks" during the game's launch. While the attacks didn't directly cause any, they rendered "the environment in which [ the team is working] on these more difficult problems". Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller said the team was working on a second DDoS attack late on launch day, but it appears the attackers have backed off. Blizzard said it had "no further attacks", which hopefully means it can now resolve issues more quickly.
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Even Blizzard admitted that the launch of Overwatch 2 didn't live up to anyone's expectations. In a new post detailing the latest status updates for the game's rollout, the company apologized to its players and discussed the long list of issues it has faced since the game went live. first person shooter. One of the biggest updates it brings to the game removes the need for former players to link their phone numbers to Battle.net in order to play. As long as they have a connected Battle.net account, which covers all players who have accessed the first Overwatch since June 9, 2021, they are exempt from this requirement.
Blizzard originally created SMS Protect, which requires players to link a phone number to their Battle.net accounts, a requirement to access Overwatch to make it harder for players to people from cheating or trolling others. However, this doesn't always work with numbers associated with prepaid plans, and therein lies the problem. While some Mint customers have been able to link their numbers to SMS Protect just fine, Cricket players seem to be locked out of the game altogether. As Kotaku reports, fans feel like they're being punished or ashamed of being "poor".
The developer is removing the requirement in response, and expects the change to be implemented on October 7th. Blizzard, however, said it remains "committed to combating disruptive behavior", which is why new accounts and old ones who have never been logged into Battle.net before will still need to meet the SMS Protect requirements to be able to to play.
The company has also made changes to simplify the queuing process, so players no longer see their queue numbers jump from hundreds to tens of thousands and vice versa. Additionally, it is working to make connections more stable to prevent players from being removed from queues or being able to connect at all. A server update that is also in progress will reduce the chances of players being disconnected once they are already in the game. Regarding missing items, Blizzard explained that the issue is due to a merge of incomplete account or items simply taking longer to transfer from the old game.
These issues, Blizzard said in its announcement, were "exacerbated by DDoS attacks" during the game's launch. While the attacks didn't directly cause any, they rendered "the environment in which [ the team is working] on these more difficult problems". Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller said the team was working on a second DDoS attack late on launch day, but it appears the attackers have backed off. Blizzard said it had "no further attacks", which hopefully means it can now resolve issues more quickly.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.
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