'Overwatch 2' will no longer require legacy players to verify their phone number

Even Blizzard has admitted that Overwatch 2's launch has not met anybody's expectations. In a new post detailing the latest status updates for the game's rollout, the company has apologized to its players and discussed the lengthy list of issues it's had to face since the first-person shooter went live. One of the biggest updates it's making to the game is removing the need for for legacy players to link their phone numbers to Battle.net to be able to play. So long as they have a connected Battle.net account, which covers all players who've accessed the first Overwatch since June 9th, 2021, they're exempted from the requirement.

Blizzard originally made SMS Protect, which requires players to link a phone number to their Battle.net accounts, a requirement to access Overwatch as a way to make it harder for people to cheat or to troll others. It doesn't always work with numbers associated with prepaid plans, though, and therein lies the problem. While some Mint customers were able able to link their numbers to SMS Protect just fine, players on Cricket seem to be completely locked out of the game. As Kotaku reports, fans feel like they're being punished or shamed for "being poor."