How do you hold players responsible for their in-game behavior? What does a ban mean if a toxic player can register again? Activision Blizzard is inclined to solve the problem with phone number verification for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, scheduled to release in October. This solution seems efficient, but it’s still far from perfect.
The system used for this verification is called SMS Protect. It requires a functioning phone number the player has access to, so they can receive an SMS on that phone and enter the code from it on the website or in the game. This links the account to the phone number, so when it’s banned, the player cannot reregister with the same number.
Well, it’s logical to assume that a player will behave more responsibly knowing that creating a new account won’t be that easy. You can make as many email addresses as you like on Outlook, Gmail, or Yahoo; but the same won’t work with Verizon or AT&T. An average player just won’t have the unlimited number of phone numbers, and so will not risk their Battle.net account for the sake of trolling or bullying.
This decision, though, seems to be unjust towards those with prepaid mobile plans, because they don’t always allow for texting. The same applies to those who use VoIP numbers as their primary ones (this, though, may be a conscious decision). Postpaid users will have no issues with that, but the others may. One of the beta testers of Modern Warfare 2 has already reported the issue with the prepaid number they have, which was rejected by the platform.
Will Activision Blizzard solve the problem, or will it prevent those with prepaid numbers from playing Modern Warfare 2 and later Call of Duty installments? Have you ever experienced any issues with SMS if you’re on a prepaid plan? Share your story with us in the comments if you please!