Blizzard Axes Controversial Overwatch 2 Phone Number Requirement (techradar.com) 41
Overwatch 2 will no longer require existing Overwatch players to cough up a phone number, as Blizzard rolls back the controversial anti-cheat system. TechRadar reports: All Overwatch 2 players were originally required to link an active phone number to their Battle.net account to play the hero shooter. Blizzard hoped the SMS Protect authentication system would help users verify their accounts, and prevent disruptive and abusive players from returning to the game after being banned. [...] Overwatch's phone number authentication system has proven controversial among the game's community. Several types of phone numbers, including those linked to pre-paid SIM cards and VOIP phones, can't be used for authentication, locking many would-be players out of the sequel. Even those who'd purchased the original Overwatch -- which was replaced by the free-to-play sequel and is no longer accessible -- originally found themselves unable to play Overwatch 2 if they didn't have a phone number of the right type. Similarly, many who'd bought the game's Watchpoint Pack ahead of its launch found they couldn't access the game to enjoy the $39.99 starter bundle.
"We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players," Blizzard said in a forum post announcing the end of the system. "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. We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7." But the policy change won't benefit everyone. Blizzard says: "Accounts that were not connected to Battle.net, as well as new accounts, will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements."
"We have made the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players," Blizzard said in a forum post announcing the end of the system. "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. We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7." But the policy change won't benefit everyone. Blizzard says: "Accounts that were not connected to Battle.net, as well as new accounts, will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements."
would been fine if (Score:2)
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606-0842
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So you somehow theorize that cheaters will not pay for the game? Have you even though about your statement for 1 minute? Apparently not. Or maybe you are a cheater and the reason you cannot put in that phone number is because the system Blizzard had in place works as intended?
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Yeah, ironically if we knew your phone number, you likely would not accuse people of cheating without evidence, so the person illustrating the problem of anonymity was actually you. It is people like you that the requirement exists for. And we do not have to speculate if you would cowardly accuse someone behind a pseudonym, because all doubt has been removed.
Or maybe that was your point (I gift-wrapped the out, why not take it)
Regardless, game companies are still governed, in the US at least, by the same
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What unmitigated nonsense. Incidentally a) I am in Europe and the GDPR applies and b) Blizzard _has_ my phone number and has had it for a while.
Why the fuck do people care about games anymore? (Score:1, Flamebait)
Sorry, but simply being into games and computers no longer qualifies you as a nerd. You're not smart just because you're an edgelord with up-to-date computer technology.
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Please. We have chronic political posters here who are far more irritating than anyone who is a gaming enthusiast. I'd rather see more gamer nerd crap here than any more ". . . and that's why we need Universal Healthcare!" posts.
Inb4 "Blizzard Axes 2FA requirement, and that's why we need Universal Healthcare"! post.
Re: Why the fuck do people care about games anymor (Score:1)
We have chronic political posters here who are far more irritating than anyone who is a gaming enthusiast.
This policy is incredibly racist. If people of color are incapable of getting ID/drivers licenses for voter ID, they also are incapable of getting a cell phone.
The anti-racist thing to do would be to have two different overwatch servers. One for only white people who must use SMS two factor. The other for people of color who donâ(TM)t get to benefit from anticheating protection.
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Thanks for the confirmation!
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Well, the US needs universal healthcare to not fall even more behind, but that is another discussion. Since the end of the American Century will benefit everybody (well, besides the US), people like you are welcome because you to do the dirty work. Not intentionally, sure, but useful idiots are a time-honored way to make things happen.
Side notes: My stalkers are slacking off and I feel ignored as a result. Has this incited you enough to become another one?
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Ah yes, that would be the fascist version. I guess the US needs some hands-on experience with that form of government...
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Also thanks to you for proving my point!
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You are welcome. To be fair, it was a stupid point. I guess me pointing this out by my answer was too subtle for you though.
Re: Why the fuck do people care about games anymor (Score:2)
You're not a nerd unless you've done at least one channel takeover on efnet.
Re:Why the fuck do people care about games anymore (Score:4)
I have no idea what this moronic statement is intended to do. Entertainment and relaxation is important for humans. That happens to be a scientifically proven fact. It also happens a fact that technology is a major part in many forms of entertainment, hence mentioning it here. Incidentally, "anti-cheat" is also in a larger context just systems and software security. In particular, anomaly detection not so unlikely what is used in games will likely be part of what protects your bank account at this very moment.
And tech remains nerdy. Or are you going to dispute that?
Too much (Score:2)
Some games are pay-to-win. This one is pay-to-troll. Good business model.
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Overwatch 2 is F2P.
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So? Blizzard is still monetizing this in some way and players that leave because of this crap are lost revenue.
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Basically all anti-cheat efforts that do not identify people with an ID that is expensive and/or hard to change have failed. There are too many people that are crap and can afford to just buy the game again. (Or as here, the game is F2P.) Hence we will see persistent, hard to change IDs for online gamers, because most people think that ruining the entertainment time of others is just unacceptable. Apparently it will still take a while, but any non-cheating player opposed to this is hurting themselves.
Don't play games but (Score:4, Insightful)
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This is the biggest WTF. You can use a pre-paid SIM when your bank asks you for contact details for your $1m loan. You can give it to the tax authorities as a primary contact number. But you can't use it to play *A FUCKING COMPUTER GAME*?
Re: Don't play games but (Score:2)
Obvious data harvesting scheme (Score:3)
A free-to-play game requires your phone number to play AND pre-paid sims are not accepted? What other purpose would this serve EXCEPT linking the player to individual so they can sell to data brokers?
If this was for security to prevent accounts being hacked, pre-paid sims would work for 2FA just as well.
So instead of selling games to make money, now Blizzard has turned to selling player data to make money. Another game company to write off.
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A free-to-play game requires your phone number to play AND pre-paid sims are not accepted? What other purpose would this serve EXCEPT linking the player to individual so they can sell to data brokers?
Making it hard for cheaters to just make a new account. Seriously. Also remember that selling these identities would be a criminal act in the EU. Maybe get your laws fixed?
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Naw, the biggest people screaming about this would be people who don't care about cheating and just buy new games or just create new accounts for free ones. It's a lot more prohibitive to churn out new phone numbers each time you're banned if you can't use prepaid phones.
That's what they would do if it required a phone number, they'd buy 10$ sim card and number on a prepaid and go back to cheating until they're caught again.
It's really screaming about not being able to be a little douche and someone actuall
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The game Overwatch 2 is rated T (ages 13+) by ESRB. How is the parent of a player age 13 to 17 supposed to afford a separate postpaid SMS line for each player in the household?
Abuse (Score:2)
Oh thank goodness (Score:3)
That's a relief. For a while it seemed like I'd be locked out of the game I paid for.
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RealID v2.0 (Score:3)
Nothing more than that. RealID was an abject failure and was retracted before it got going too far (and would probably have run into serious legal issues regardless).
This is just another attempt at getting data for 'real' people, under the guise of 'security' and 'anti cheat'.
Sales matter huh? (Score:1)
Still required for new accounts though.... (Score:2)
And the bottom line is that this isn't going to actually stop people intent upon cheating,because they can just get a burner phone number, and pay to keep it active until they are caught. Then they will just go and get a new one. This is trivial.
Which means that the only plausible reason that Blizzard could actually have for wanting this data is so that they have another marketing vector to use at a later date.
Even if they supposedly promise never to use that information for such purposes, however...