An Overwatch 2 community manager took to the game's official forums to share an Overwatch 2 status update. The post outlines some of player's biggest concerns with the game's tumultuous launch, as well as lays out how Blizzard intends to address these issues.

The first issue the post addressed was Overwatch 2's SMS requirement. Prior to the update, all Overwatch 2 players were required to connect their phone to their Battle.net account in an effort to hold individuals more accountable for cheating or bad behavior. However, after many players expressed frustration with the system and criticized it for being exclusionary, Blizzard has all but eliminated the policy for existing players.

"The majority of our console community (players who already had Overwatch connected to their Battle.net account, including any console player who has played since June 9, 2021) no longer need to meet SMS Protect requirements," Blizzard wrote. "Any PC player who ever played the original Overwatch has this requirement removed."