Blizzard apologises for Overwatch 2 launch issues and drops phone number requirement for many
Blizzard has apologised for Overwatch 2’s rocky launch and axed a policy requiring all players to have a phone number attached to their Battle.net account in order to access the game.
In a post on Blizzard’s forums, the Overwatch team addressed the multiple issues users have been experiencing since the free-to-play game’s launch on Tuesday, and outlined its plans to fix them.
“While millions of people have been enjoying the game, the launch has not met your, or our, expectations,” the company said.
“First, we want to apologize to our players. We expected the launch of Overwatch 2 to go smoothly. We hold ourselves to a higher standard and we are working hard to resolve the issues you are experiencing.”
Blizzard’s controversial two-factor authentication system, SMS Protect, which locks out users on pre-paid plans from playing the game, will be removed for the “majority of existing Overwatch players” via an update expected to be released on October 7.
“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,” Blizzard said.
“We remain committed to combating disruptive behavior in Overwatch 2—accounts that were not connected to Battle.net as well as new accounts will still have to meet SMS Protect requirements,” it added.
Blizzard said it’s working on patching servers to improve stability and increase login reliability. While some issues have been addressed, there’s more work to be done, so players should continue to expect to see queues and experience disconnects in the short-term.
The studio also addressed reports from players whose inventory in-game has been partially or totally reset following the sequel’s launch.
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