Update [Thu 6th Oct, 2022 06:30 BST]: Blizzard has published a new post on its announcement page, addressing the current state of the Overwatch 2 launch.
Perhaps the most notable change, going live on October 7th, is the decision to remove phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players, after a lot of complaints from the community:
"Any Overwatch player with a connected Battle.net account, which includes all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play. We are working to make this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7. We will update players once it is in effect."
SMS Protect will still be required for new Battle.net sign-ups. Blizzard has also acknowledged a few other concerns:
We have addressed some issues and are in the process of addressing others, but players should still expect to see queues.
You have not lost any items or progress, though some players are logging in and seeing some/all elements missing from their collection.
Once again, you can get a full rundown on the current state of Overwatch 2 and all the changes on the way on Blizzard's forums.
Original article [Wed 5th Oct, 2022 06:45 BST]: In true Blizzard fashion (Error 37 never forget), its latest game launch has got off to another bumpy start.
The new free-to-play team-based shooter Overwatch 2 went live yesterday, and unfortunately, it's been hit with a "mass DDoS attack". According to Blizzard's company president Mike Ybarra, the game's servers have been suffering a lot of drop and connection issues as a result.
The game's director Aaron Keller has provided an update via social media as well, mentioning how the team was currently working through a "second DDoS attack" and would continue to work into the late/early hours to resolve the issue.
"We’re all hands on deck and will continue to work throughout the night. Thank you for your patience - we’ll share more info as it becomes available."
You can download Overwatch 2 from the Xbox Store. You'll need to provide your mobile number, and also link or create a Battle.net account to log in. And if you do try to play anytime soon, just be prepared for long queue times and connection issues.
How's your Overwatch 2 experience going so far? Tell us in the comments.
Comments 6
Classic Blizzard launch..
What do you expect with the launch of an online game across 4 consoles.
@Kaloudz it’s hard to say. But when our websites at work have been attacked we have to limit the data that can be sent back and forth to customers. So our website goes slow for a few days/hours until the attack is resolved.
I’d imagine on an online game that is streaming data between the user and servers would have major impacts because of this far more than a simple website.
Attempted to play earlier, started in a queue of 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 9, 8, 7... Then 20,000. Thought something might be up, decided to Cyberpunk instead
Think I’ll give it a go in a few weeks when things have settled down. Glad they’ve removed the phone number requirement though, that was a stupid move.
"Update: Existing players won't require a phone number"
And just like that, I'm now willing to check the game out. Probably after work today if the servers are working.
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