Players who want to access Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which is releasing this month, will need to link a unique phone number to their Battle.net account.
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This is according to a recently updated Blizzard Support page that includes the game on a list of titles that require a linked phone number. The Steam and Battle.net pre-sale pages for the game also note that “a mobile phone number must be linked to your… account to play Modern Warfare II.” Archived versions of that Battle.net page suggest the requirement has been in place since at least late September.
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Justifying the phone number requirement, Blizzard's support page notes that "limiting the number of free accounts an individual can create helps hold players accountable for their actions , and in turn reduces toxicity and cheating , and ensures a positive community experience for all players."
But that's an excuse that doesn't seem to apply directly to Modern Warfare II, a game that requires a $70 purchase to play. So, blocked online players will have to buy a whole new copy of the game to continue playing on a new account.
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Surprisingly, Activision's upcoming free-to-play game Warzone 2.0 is not on the list of games that will require a phone number linked to player accounts. Activision rolled out SMS verification for free-to-play players of the original Warzone in May 2020 as "another step to provide an extra layer of security for players."
Source of information: arstechnica.com
