Overwatch 2: In Queue, Blizzard Addresses Post Launch Issues

Overwatch 2’s launch has been far from smooth. Several players reported long queue times and frequent disconnections and the problems still persist. Blizzard put out a statement saying the servers were suffering from mass DDoS (Direct Denial of Service) attacks and the company is trying to address all of the server issues. Today, Overwatch 2’s community manager took to Blizzard’s Overwatch forums to address issues including the SMS protect, and missing items.

Overwatch 2: In Queue Issues currently being worked on

Overwatch 2 associate community manager Jodie “Jodie” Mckaughan took to the forums to talk about the long login queues, server crashes, and general stability issues plaguing the game. The queue issues players were facing were “due to there being two queues for players—one through Battle.net, then one through the game itself”. This process, usually invisible to players, was being shown in real-time. Blizzard is making changes to simplify the queuing process so players only see one queue when logging on. The player database is reportedly being “overloaded, which cascades and causes a backup in the login system”. Login queues are going to be throttled, “in order to protect the player database as much as we can while we scale” by adding nodes. The developer is currently working on issues where players are getting disconnected while in matches. 

SMS Protect will be removed for old players

Blizzard has decided to remove the phone number requirements for a majority of existing Overwatch players. 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. Blizzard is set to remove SMS Protect for older players on 7th October. However, new accounts will still have to meet the SMS Protect requirements. 

The Overwatch 2 devs are keeping a list of known issues here.