Activision Blizzard Will Once Again Have Prepaid/VOIP Phone Restrictions, This Time For Modern Warfare 2

Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 had a rocky start, DDoS attacks, missing players' skins, and a terribly frustrating protocol where all players must have a mobile phone number connected to their Battle Net account. This particular issue became one of greatest frustration as players eager to play weren't able to do so because they didn't have their own phone numbers or were in prepaid monthly contracts for their phone service plan–also not accepted by Blizzard.

Thankfully the company decided to revise this requirement and players who owned a Battle Net account before June 9, 2021 were able to play the game without adding their phone numbers. Despite these issues, Activision Blizzard is once again requiring players to submit their phone numbers--now for Modern Warfare 2--and if they cannot provide such information they will be unable to play the game, ignoring the fact that they bought the title...something Overwatch 2 doesn't require being a F2P game.

"Adding a phone number will allow Blizzard Entertainment to send you notifications when important changes are made to your account," reads the phone notifications page on the Battle.net support site.

The idea of accountability and being able to keep the community safe is a great reason to have such restrictions, however, these requirements are difficult for many players, especially a younger audience who might not have a phone to apply with or people whose finances make owning an accepted cell phone/number difficult. Rather than forcing their players into difficult situations, Blizzard needs to work harder to find modern solutions to problems like this in order to be a more inclusive game company.

Activision Blizzard continues to make mistake after mistake. Recently an Overwatch 2 in-game chat bug has caused players to buy unwanted Premium Hero Skins, and despite the game’s bug, Blizzard will not be refunding the victims as of this writing (we fully expect this to change.)

Note: Activision Blizzard is still under investigation by the state of California for serious harassment charges. CEO Bobby Kotick is alleged to have known about such actions within his company – and performed some himself – and shielded the perpetrators from consequences.