Remove the phone number requirement or allow pre-paid

General Discussion
#1

I don’t know a single person in my entire life who doesn’t use a prepaid phone. None of us will be able to play OW2 because of this redic rule. It shouldn’t even be a thing anyways. There are dozens of ways to have 2 factor authentication. You don’t need a bs version that excludes a significant part of the population. Let alone folks who don’t have phones. Phones shouldn’t be a requirement for gaming. Overwatch 2 is a pc and console game not a phone game you shouldn’t need a phone let alone a post-paid phone to use it. It refused both my google number and my actual phone number because it’s pre-paid. I will likely never have a post-paid phone or phone number. At least not in the forseeable future. That’s not going to change my end. I’m not going to get some long scummy contract phone just to play a single video game. Fix this blizzard. Don’t go around excluding people for arbitrary reasons.

I guess there is another option. Give me a refund as I won’t be able to actually use the product.

383 Likes
#2

u live in a place where prepaid are most common?

7 Likes
#3

I haven’t interviewed everyone in my town. But everyone I personally know yes. Either way it’s irrelevent. A group of people should’ve be exclused. It’s kinda effed up. All you should need to play ow2 is a computer or console that runs it. You shouldn’t need a third party paid thing that has to be contract pay.

36 Likes
#4

i think i read somewhere that blizzard will be accommodating certain regions where prepaid plans are most common

#5

And if they aren’t most common by region just happens to be me and the folks I know? What then? We get excluded?

22 Likes
#6

ppl are gonna get screwed either way it seems. im not even sure if my earlier comment on accommodation is accurate.

#7

Either way what? Just don’t require cell phones. Figure something else out.

27 Likes
#8

blizzard doesn’t care :confused:

16 Likes
#9

I think Blizzard should take 1 of a few approaches to this.

1 ) Ask for 20 bucks for a game copy to an existing account or 50 for a new account.

2 ) If they want to offer it “free” they can offer it to SMS players free.

3 ) If they want to SMS anything, it should be competitive ONLY.

If I really want to play overwatch and have to switch to this bs of an idea for Select plans, Guess what I could do. I could create an account, play on it, act like a rude person, and when the account is banned. I could call up my mobile carrier and ask for a NEW NUMBER, rinse and repeat.

Heck, I could SPOOF my hardware ID, Network hardware, and anything else along the routing protocols that would distinguish a UNIQUE ID about me, including my Operating SYSTEM ID. with some nice tools that are available to me, and any other person from the web.

to heck with the skins that I had on my main account. Not like I can use the account again!

The only real people this hurts is the HONEST players. not the dishonest ones. We’ve had this discussion a million times now. That people that just want to play the game, and play it without some dumb mobile device tethered to their account, in order to play. Want to do so in peace.

18 Likes
#10

I bought the overwatch 2 package thingie. So If a purchase if what you need I already have it. Rather spend a lump sum then get stuck in a scummy contract.

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#11

hey, do you want to pay 20 dollars for a game people with phones get for free

6 Likes
#12

It’s not free if you have to pay for the phone service. As an alternative the answer is yes. I’d rather pay $20 then have a contract phone any day of the week. But that’s also the problem. It’s not people with phones. I have a phone. I’ve had the same number for 4 years but blizzard won’t accept it because it’s “pre paid” well living month to month I cannot afford/risk doing a 2 year contract. Especially where it starts out cheap for the first year and then ramps up 50x the next year. I had family get screwed over from contract phones so we all agreed to go pre-paid to save ourselves the headache. Never in my wildest dreams would I think a prepaid phone would prevent me from playing a video game.

36 Likes
#13

for the cost of 20 once. or relying on my cell service. Actually tbh I would pay the 20. Because the cell towers here where I am at. are AWFUL.

8 Likes
#14

I work for a Telco and the area i work in is vastly more prepaid than post paid

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#15

Like I said I haven’t interviewed my town but the circket-wireless is almost always busy. Most folks here tend to get their pre-paid through them. I’ve had the same damn phone number for 4 years. I wouldn’t even know how to change my phone number and I know it’s real easy to change it for contract phones. So whatever they’re trying to accomplish they already failed.

8 Likes
#16

Come up with a better way to get rid of Smurfs.

They literally ruin the experience for so many players.

What is your Smurf solution?

7 Likes
#17

You know what also ruins the experience for so many players? BEING UNABLE TO PLAY!

Someone already posted a few options but I have some.

Purchase a copy of the “upgraded” game.

Proof of ID on account. I already had to do that to change my REAL ID name when I legally changed my name.

Face scan, fingerprint identification, voice identification, or all 3.

Allow prepaid numbers(???)

But this shouldn’t be on me random customer. Blizzard should figure out a way to deal with a problem without causing a bigger problem. Trying to make a better gaming experience by blocking innocent people? That isn’t a solution. That’s fixing a problem with a problem. Not to mention it can easily be bypassed anyways.

I’d rather smurfs than not be able to play at all. I’m assuming you have a postpaid phone? How would you feel if they banned postpaid phones and only allowed prepaid? So you have to switch phone providers or get a second phone.

15 Likes
#18

Just this… thats all this trash pile company needs to do

24 Likes
#19

I want things to be fair for both ends and I feel comp for SMS only is a good solution for this time. I see others saying this as well and I agree. Launch is right around the corner and many players are disheartned over the fact they can’t play.

If they decide to push to make comp only SMS (which is where it counts the most imho) then other players locked out due to phone restrictions can at least still play?

Unless there are better ways, I’m not sure.

4 Likes
#20

Purchasing of a copy of the game is why Smurfs exist. When a Smurf account gets banned, they just buy a new copy of the game. That’s why they exist.

The idea behind this is that if one account gets banned, so do any accounts associated with the number.

5 Likes