You’ll need a phone number to play the new Call of Duty – but there’s a catch

THE new Call of Duty game is going to use the controversial SMS Protect system seen in Overwatch 2.

Activision Blizzard has been making headlines this past week for all the wrong reasons, and it isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Call of Duty will require a phone number to play, just like Overwatch 2.Credit: Activision Blizzard

Overwatch 2’s launch has been an absolute mess, with long queues to get into the game, frequently kicking players, and not even letting some in to begin with.

One of the most ridiculous problems has come on Xbox, where the game will kick players who earn an achievement.

Many have worried about how this will affect Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s launch on October 28.

While the performance of servers remains to be seen, we now know for sure that it’ll be using the controversial SMS Protect system.

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In a statement on Blizzard’s website, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, newly created Overwatch 2 accounts, and newly created Call of Duty: Modern Warfare accounts require a phone number.”

Appearing last week in Overwatch 2, this system requires players to sign up with a phone number in order to play the game.

In isolation, this isn’t a huge problem, as the vast majority of gamers own mobile phones. However, there’s a catch.

This system doesn’t allow you to sign up with a prepaid phone number, which has excluded a huge number of players.

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The intention behind this is to stop banned players from signing up with a new account and rejoining the game, but it’s been derided by fans.

Many have labelled it as “poor-shaming”, as many with low income cannot afford a phone contract.

The backlash from Overwatch 2’s launch caused them to loosen this restriction on anyone who owned Overwatch 1.

Unfortunately, as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an entirely new game, there will likely be no such loosening this time around.

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It’s possible that, if the backlash from Overwatch 2’s launch sustains, Activision Blizzard will back down on using this system, but right now that doesn’t seem likely.

This means that if you’re hoping to play the latest Call of Duty games and you’re on a prepaid plan, you may want to look at switching to a contract sooner rather than later.

Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.