I’ve gotten used to blizzard bumbling things with questionable policies but this one takes the cake. SMS Protect, a system designed to prevent ‘smurfing’ or creating multiple accounts on free games (which is a negligible problem to begin with) has blocked multiple users out of accessing games simply because they cannot afford certain providers. Not only does this come off as remarkably classist, but it’s also wildly inconsistent- providers such as Cricket and Boost which are considered ‘pre-paid’ lines are barred from entry while a friend of mine was able to use a prepaid line from Straight Talk Wireless without any issue.
This system prevents access to multiple blizzard products, including Overwatch 2. The asinine process is apparently completely out of Blizzard Support’s hands, and thus anyone with a Cricket or similar phone provider is completely unable to play.
This especially stings if one has already purchased the Watchpoint Pack months ago, and is now unable to claim those entitlements because of SMS Protect and equally unable to get a refund for it.
Please fix this immediately, Blizzard. Either do away with this system entirely or allow ‘prepaid’ numbers.
16 Likes
I’m a person with a non prepaid cricket plan and I sunk hundreds of hours into overwatch just to get barred from playing my favorite game of all time because I can’t afford a better carrier. This really is classist as hell
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I agree this entire system is stupid. I’ve played overwatch since it first came out hell, I even played the closed/open beta for the first game and now I have no chance to play the second. Once again blizzard somehow finds a way to mess up
1 Like
I have been a Cricket Wireless customer since 2018 with a family plan for 4 people. I’ve also supported Blizzard since the 90’s with the first Blizzard purchase I ever made for SEGA Genesis’s The Lost Vikings game, I joined in the Warcraft world during Warcraft 2, I’ve bought every Diablo game (except for Immortal), played WoW through the Burning Crusade - Legion. I’ve had that Battlenet account since Battlenet changed it’s whole server structure.
Overwatch, I have played since 2016 first on PS4 then switched to PC in 2019. I have put in ridiculous amounts of hours of play into this game. I have supported Blizzard games since the 90’s and now you are telling me I’m not allowed to play Overwatch 2 because you don’t like my phone service provider.
I’ve had that account for decades man, just please send me updates about my account to my Email (which is my preferred method of contact and will always be) I would rather not be reliant on receiving updates on my phone. Every business and company I have ever dealt with, I get Important notifications sent to my email as the main source of communication system I have used since the Internet was a thing.
Maybe I could install and extra authenticator app that I could easily install on any of my devices to receive important SMS updates.
I support getting rid of people who abuse accounts, who cheat, and who need to have disciplinary action taken against them for their damaging behavior. But… , you guys are preventing a long term customer like myself from accessing a game I love. I don’t believe this is fair or in the best interest of your customers, to the rest of the Overwatch community in my shoes I am sorry this situation sucks.
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Blizzard, you are discriminating against people who use certain wireless companies or have to use a prepaid cell service? Fix this garbage!!!
1 Like