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Overwatch 2 is dropping its SMS Protect feature "for a majority of existing Overwatch players."
In a post published early this morning, Blizzard published an update on the launch of Overwatch 2, outlining its approach to some of the bigger issues that players have faced over the past couple of days. At the top of that list is the SMS Protect feature - intended to act as part of the game's approach to combatting negative behaviour, Blizzard now says that it has "made the decision to remove phone number requirements."
That change is still a work in progress, and Blizzard says it expects to have it in place some time on Friday, October 7, and will update players once it's in effect.
That "majority" of players includes anyone who's played Overwatch since last June, when Battle.Net users were forced to connect their phone numbers to their accounts anyway. If you've not played since then, or you're a brand-new player, Blizzard says that you'll still need to meet the SMS Protect requirements.
Overwatch 2's mobile verification system was already causing a headache for some players ahead of launch, but the problem was exacerbated overnight with the realisation that Blizzard didn't accept pre-paid or shared phone numbers. Despite the game's free-to-play status, that all-but locked out younger players, or those who might not be able to afford a long-term monthly contract.
Launch hasn't gone entirely smoothly for Blizzard - fans have found themselves subject to significant server queues amid more than one DDoS attack - but the game does appear to have been relatively well-received by fans, who are already expressing their fondness for new characters like Sojourn and the reworked Orisa. Critically, however, things are a little less clear-cut; in our Overwatch 2 review, Alyssa said "While Overwatch 2 still offers fun and frenetic gameplay on beautifully vibrant maps, it's hard to ignore how much it deviates from the successes of the original."
Here are the Overwatch 2 error codes, and how to fix them.
