Overwatch 2’s SMS Protect requirement now works with prepaid phones

Overwatch 2’s SMS Protect requirement – a measure intended to curb toxic and disruptive player behavior — now accommodates mobile phones on a prepaid plan, Blizzard Entertainment announced on Thursday. Many players will now be able to link their Battle.net accounts to their mobile numbers, a change that is a welcome addition to the game’s free-to-play heroes shooter.

SMS Protect was disallowed for the vast majority Overwatch 2 players on Oct. 5 as Blizzard coped with a raft of connectivity problems arising from the highly anticipated game’s launch the day before. Blizzard established the telephone number requirement to prevent account creation. It also serves to sanction bad actors, but not to ban them.

SMS Protect was not compatible with data plans on pre-paid mobile phones so many users were effectively blocked from accessing the new game just one week prior to its launch. To make matters worse, Overwatch 2 It replaces the 2015 original game, which had its servers shut down on October 3. This meant that long-time players could not access either the original or their progression.

Blizzard then removed the SMS Protect requirement on existing Battle.net account accounts while keeping it in force for new accounts, or accounts that were never connected through Battle.net.

SMS Protect is one tool in a broader approach Blizzard developers call “Defense Matrix,” which is intended “to help protect the integrity of gameplay and promote positive behavior in Overwatch 2.” The game is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.