Unlike Overwatch 2, Modern Warfare 2’s mobile phone requirement is PC-only

Unlike PC players, console owners won’t have to register a mobile phone number to access Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision has said.

Clarifying its SMS security policy for Modern Warfare 2 in a blog post, the publisher confirmed that a text-enabled phone number will only be required to play the game on PC.

It said the SMS policy for Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 on Battle.net is the same as the one that has been in place for Warzone on PC since May 2020, and that it applies to Steam too.

The two-factor authentication system was also added to the PC version of 2019’s Modern Warfare this August.

This confirmation comes hot on the heels of a recent Overwatch 2 phone verification controversy for Activision Blizzard.

Released last week, Overwatch 2 initially required all players across all platforms to have a phone number attached to their Battle.net account to launch the game, although this policy was subsequently removed for the “majority” of existing players following a backlash.

“SMS verification is critical to our anti-cheat enforcement efforts, tackling illicit account creation at its source,” the Call of Duty blog 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.”

It added: “The SMS requirement for game access is used for security purposes only. Call of Duty does not use SMS verification data for marketing purposes.”

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 release date is October 28, but players who pre-order the digital version of the game will be granted early access to its campaign starting on October 20.

Activision is reportedly planning to release premium campaign and multiplayer content for Modern Warfare 2 next year, including a ‘greatest hits’ pack containing multiplayer maps from a variety of classic Call of Duty games to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary.