“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, newly created Overwatch 2 accounts, and newly created Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare accounts require a phone number,” the support page states. This method for protection has been getting some attention since last week. Due to the system locking out players with prepaid phone numbers. Some Overwatch 2 players noticed that they weren’t able to access the game because they use Cricket Wireless. And the SMS protect system was reportedly requiring postpaid phone numbers. Blizzard has since relaxed this requirement a bit and now only requires newly created accounts to have a number attached. Prepaid phone numbers and VoIP numbers still won’t be allowed though.
Modern Warfare II on Steam will likely have the phone number restrictions
It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it is possible that the Steam version of the game will have the same phone number requirement. Some players during the beta reported being asked to attach a number to their account. This requirement didn’t pop up for everyone though. Some console players were also asked to attach a phone number for the beta. This makes it appear more and more likely that no matter the platform, the SMS protect system is in place. When we played the Modern Warfare II beta via Steam, we weren’t asked for a phone number. And there wasn’t one already attached to the Steam account. So at the moment it isn’t completely clear if the SMS protect system is going to stretch across both PC game clients. Or who all it will impact. What it is clear is that this will no doubt lock out some players from accessing the game. And it may be an especially upsetting revelation for those who already pre-ordered.
