Skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM, is a type of matchmaking that pairs players based on their in-game skill scores. While many fans consider it an important feature as it continuously drives the difficulty of the game, others argue that it only has a place in ranked play. Casual experiences turn competitive when players are fighting against other players who meet or exceed their skill.
RELATED: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta Lobbies Are Having Major Issues
In the Black Ops Cold War Beta, SBMM is a prominent feature. As players queued into multiplayer lobbies, they found that the game auto-dispands after each round. Fans have noticed that with each new lobby comes a new round of players closer to their skill level, and that as their K/D rose, so did the K/D of players that they were being matched with. It seems that the entire matchmaking system in Beta revolves around placing players against peers in a similar skill range. This is only one piece of what has tipped off fans about the blatant use of SBMM in Black Ops Cold War.
Fan response was swift, as players took to social media sites to complain. Within hours after the Beta began, SBMM was trending on Twitter filled with fan complaints about the controversial system. Players shared screenshots showing that although they perform about average, SBMM is continuously placing them with players who have equal or higher scores.
The main issue for fans is that SBMM turns the casual game experience into a challenging competition. While some players enjoy the competitive atmosphere, other fans would prefer randomized lobbies that contain players of every skill level. The balanced lobby would allow for every few games to match players with opportunities for more enjoyable gameplay. While it would be unbalanced, there would still be a chance to receive a kill or two in every match as lower-tier players would be mingling with the high tier pros.
Still, Activision and Treyarch seem to have no plans in adjusting SBMM. While there is substantially more to Black Ops Cold War than the limited Beta multiplayer, SBMM continues to be a reoccurring topic among the Call of Duty community. It is currently unclear what solution could be implimented to find a balance between the competitive an casual commmunity’s matchmaking needs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to release on November 13th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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