Despite what Infinity Ward might say, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is in Modern Warfare. While it might not be as drastic as some fans believe, a form exists in the game. YouTubers Drift0r and TheXclusiveAce did several tests and concluded that some secret ranking system is present in public matches.
Since this revelation, fans on social have been begging Infinity Ward developers to remove it from public matches. However, according to a rival developer, SBMM won’t be going anywhere in present and future multiplayer titles.
SBMM is here to stay
Respawn, makers of Apex Legends, also make use of skill-based matchmaking in their game. When posed a question about SBMM, one Respawn developer made a comment that will make a lot of fans uneasy about the future.
SBMM will become the norm for most MP games, as there is indisputable evidence through data that it helps out something like 80-90% of the community with retention for most of those games… which hurts us 10%’ers, I know. Still though, ours might need some tuning potentially
— Eric Hewitt / Ghost (@GH057ayame) November 24, 2019
Eric Hewitt, the Respawn developer, does make a fair point about the community as a whole. While the opposers of SBMM might be yelling the loudest across social media, there are tens of millions of players that play Modern Warfare.
Infinity Ward gathers more data than the community will ever see firsthand, and they obviously see that SBMM helps out Modern Warfare more than it hurts it. Clearly, they see a majority of newer players stick around after they’re placed in lobbies with users of similar skill.
Satisfying the other 10%
However, this shouldn’t mean that the rest of the community should be punished. As Hewitt says, around 10% of the player base are fans that most likely don’t want SBMM. This 10% likely consists of longtime players of the series. Back in the days of Black Ops 1-2 and Modern Warfare 1-3, there was no SBMM. Instead, you had to get better by playing against all skill levels.
I don’t think they understand that call of duty for the casual player isn’t about play to win what so ever, it’s about getting the highest killstreak you can win or lose and that’s all that matters
— Shane (@SHANEE) November 26, 2019
While it might be difficult to find, Infinity Ward needs to try and come up with a middle ground. The top 10% of players shouldn’t be punished with SBMM. But of course, Infinity Ward wants newer players to keep playing.
Whatever this middle ground might be, Modern Warfare needs an SBMM solution soon. If not, the top 10% will slowly stop hopping onto Modern Warfare.
What’s your take on skill-based matchmaking? Let us know, and keep up with Daily Esports for all Modern Warfare coverage.
