'DOTA 2' Update: Valve Requires Accounts to Have Linked Unique Phone Numbers for Ranked Matchmaking
Valve has recently issued major policy changes on the hit free-to-play multiplayer online battle game "DOTA 2," and it includes the mandatory registration of unique phone numbers to the accounts of players who want to join ranked matchmaking.
"Players using multiple accounts create a negative matchmaking experience at all skill brackets, so our goal is to add just enough friction to this process that the number of players doing this will be noticeably reduced," Valve explained through an official blog post on April 20.
Valve is positive that requiring players to link their phone numbers to their accounts will affect the Ranked and Unranked matchmaking games in positive ways.
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From the time the new policy was announced, players are given 20 days to link their accounts to their chosen unique phone numbers. For the time being, players can still participate in ranked matchmaking games even without doing the new requirement. But on Thursday, May 4, "accounts without a registered number will no longer be eligible for Ranked play."
Valve is obviously taking this new policy very seriously as they remind players that there will be a three-month waiting period when players decide to change the linked phone number and subsequently add a new one. "This is to prevent using the same number on multiple accounts," Valve explained.
On the other hand, unfortunately, players in some parts of the world cannot experience this new policy as Ranked Matchmaking will not be available in South Africa, India, and Dubai.
Valve explained that the number of players from the said regions queuing for Ranked Matchmaking is much lower compared to those who belong to what Valve calls "unranked populations." In effect, "the low populations made them prime targets for various Ranked Matchmaking abuses," Valve further explained.
Players affected by the regional changes can still queue in for Ranked Matchmaking, however, they will have to join through the nearest servers outside the said locations.
