Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC is confirmed to require a phone number for certain players, following in Overwatch 2’s footsteps
Pick up, it’s Activision verifying your account.
Zack Palm 
Image via Activision
Ahead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s release on October 28, players can expect to submit their phone numbers on their Battle.net accounts if they want to play the game. This is a similar practice Blizzard used before the official launch of Overwatch 2, and with both games featured on Battle.net, this seems to be the trend the company is using to help combat players cheating on this platform.
The requirement will be for Modern Warfare 2 players on PC, extending to those playing on Battle.net or Steam. The steps outlining this reasoning were shared by Team Ricochet, Activision’s anti-cheat team, in a blog post on the Call of Duty website. There were hints of this requirement being spotted several days ago, but now we have confirmation.
The team shares that while a phone number is required to play Modern Warfare 2, players who have already been playing Call of Duty: Warzone that has verified accounts will not be required to provide this information on this account. This differs from Overwatch 2’s initial phone number requirement, wherever everyone with Battle.net account had to provide a phone number but might prove challenging for new players who want to jump into the game for the first time.
Related: Modern Warfare 2 beta breaks Call of Duty series records for players, matches, and hours played
Leading up to Overwatch 2’s launch, Blizzard was making this a requirement for anyone who wanted to play. However, not everyone had access to the SMS verification and authentication requirements this system enforced through prepaid phone plans. Many players pushed against this, and less than a week after Overwatch 2 launched, Blizzard took a step back from this requirement. Now, most Overwatch 2 players no longer have to meet it to play the game, so long as they’ve had a Battle.net account since June 9, 2021.
Something similar might happen with Modern Warfare 2, although the mobile phone number requirement has been in effect since Call of Duty: Warzone was available on PC in May 2022, as stated by Team Ricochet. Because the team has been doing this for well over two years now, this might be the most significant change for those who play the Modern Warfare 2 campaign and multiplayer.
Although this requirement will be for all PC Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 owners, this will not be the case for players on console versions of the game.
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