Modern Warfare 2 will require players to link their phone number [updated]

[Updated October 14 @ 2:35 PM ET]: According to Activision, phone number activation will only be required for PC players. To play Modern Warfare 2 on PC, unverified players will need to verify accounts to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. 

“SMS verification is critical to our anti-cheat enforcement efforts, tackling illicit account creation at its source,” the post reads. “This helps our security team to maintain account and game security in order to provide a safe, fair, and fun gaming experience for all our players. “

The original story, published on October 11, is as follows.

It turns out that Overwatch 2 isn’t Activision Blizzard’s only game to consider enforcing phone numbers. Blizzard recently posted an entry on the Battle.net support page to list the games that will now need a phone number to play. More specifically, the publisher confirmed that Modern Warfare 2 will also require users to have an active phone number to access.

The entry reads: “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, newly created Overwatch 2 accounts, and newly created Call of Duty: Modern Warfare accounts, require that you add a phone number to your Battle.net account”. If you don’t have a phone number linked to your Battle.net account you will not be able to play Modern Warfare 2.

Blizzard believes this phone number restriction will lower the amount of toxic behavior by keeping players accountable for their actions. If they are overly toxic or cheat, Blizzard can ban their account, making it more difficult for them to make a new one. After all, they’ll need a separate phone number for each account.

Another likely factor in the decision is smurfing. This is a common behavior in competitive games where players create new accounts to play at a lower skill level than intended. This results in uneven lobbies and a less enjoyable experience for other players. Since Modern Warfare 2 is rumored to feature a competitive mode it would be vulnerable to smurfing.

Overwatch backed out

Unlike Modern Warfare 2, Overwatch 2 has somewhat backed out of its phone number requirement. The “majority of existing Overwatch players” will not need to link their phone number. The requirement was removed following community backlash with players criticizing the initial decision.

However, there’s currently no suggestion of a similar change coming to Modern Warfare 2. Unless Blizzard changes its mind, the new Call of Duty game will require a phone number to play. Also, it is expected that prepaid cell phone plans will not work.

(Image source: Battle.net)