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from the because-we-must-sell-cell-phones dept.
Polyon reports that players will be required to link an SMS phone number to their Battle.net accounts if they want to play Overwatch 2. "The same two-factor step, called SMS Protect, will also be used on all Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 accounts when that game launches, and new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare accounts," the report adds.
As the name suggests, this requires SMS "texting". That means normal landlines, VoIP numbers, some prepaid cell phones, and messaging apps are not allowed.
From the report:
Blizzard Entertainment announced SMS Protect and other safety measures ahead of Overwatch 2's release. Blizzard said it implemented these controls because it wanted to "protect the integrity of gameplay and promote positive behavior in Overwatch 2."
Overwatch 2 is free to play, unlike its predecessor. Without SMS Protect, Blizzard reasoned that there is no barrier to toxic players or trolls creating a new account if an existing one is sanctioned. SMS Protect, therefore, ties that account to something valuable -- in this case a player's mobile phone.
SMS Protect is a security feature that has two purposes: to keep players accountable for what Blizzard calls "disruptive behavior," and to protect accounts if they're hacked. It requires all Overwatch 2 players to attach a unique phone number to their account. Blizzard said SMS Protect will target cheaters and harassers; if an account is banned, it'll be harder for them to return to Overwatch 2. You can't just enter any old phone number -- you actually have to have access to a phone receiving texts to that number to get into your account.
The report notes that Blizzard has refunded one player after they contacted customer support and said they didn't have a mobile phone, but it's unclear if this policy will apply more broadly.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2022, @09:25AM (5 children)
I needed a different number recently for business transactions. A new sim was $5 which includes credit for one year. A cheap phone is all that is needed. Easy. My phone company doesnt really care what I do with the number so long as I dont break any laws.
At $5 per number, or cheaper, how is requiring a phone number anything but irritating regular users?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Tuesday October 04 2022, @12:04PM (1 child)
You have just pointed out a good technical reason why this is so absurd. Cell/Smart phones DO NOT UNIQUELY IDENTIFY PEOPLE. Quite frankly, if they ever do then I don't want to live on this planet any more.
All 2FA is is an extra step a "bad guy" would have to compromise or work around. Nothing more and nothing less. If one wants to add such an extra step, great. If not, then they should not be forced to.
Besides, there is no excuse (other than selling cell phones) for making these not work on voice telephones. I've used a couple of 2FA systems that call my landline, and that works fine for me.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday October 04 2022, @03:42PM
> All 2FA is is an extra step a "bad guy" would have to compromise or work around
Not even that if one has a phone with whatever banking/gaming software installed on it...
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2022, @12:31PM (2 children)
Hmm, do you really need a new cell phone number and SMS service/plan? How about a free* Google Voice account? I use the phone number that Google gave me for texting. Occasionally it takes a while for messages to appear (half hour?), and the web interface (tab) needs to be reloaded every few days, but most of the time it works fine. Using Voice on a laptop gives texting with a real keyboard, straightforward cut & paste, ability to grab photos and store locally, etc.
* Free as in beer, but almost certainly not free as in freedom... Also, although it also does voice, that hasn't worked too well, due to crappy internet service here.
(Score: 1) by crotherm on Tuesday October 04 2022, @02:38PM (1 child)
I signed up for a Google phone number when it was first offered. I use it all the time for texting and only once was it rejected for not being a "real" phone number.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 04 2022, @09:19PM
> I signed up for a Google phone number when it was first offered.
Me too, had my pick of many local numbers and picked one that looks like a "vanity number". At first I didn't use Google Voice for much at all, but then started using it to text and it has been fine for that purpose.
Solves one of the few problems I have from not having a cell phone. I only have a landline which gives good voice quality for working from home--cell service here is spotty.