Skill-based matchmaking is one of the most controversial features in the CoD series, and according to a new leak, SBMM is being reworked for 2022’s Modern Warfare 2.
After the mixed reception to Call of Duty: Vanguard, many players are already looking ahead to what 2022 will bring to the series. This year’s game is widely expected to be Modern Warfare 2, a sequel to the 2019 reboot.
With a name that holds a lot of clout within the community, it’s hoped that Modern Warfare 2 will deliver before the franchise takes a year off in 2023. And if a leak is to be believed, its changes to one feature will be much appreciated.
Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), has been a contentious issue among fans for many years, but MW2 will allegedly take steps to lessen its impact on players’ experience.
Put simply, SBMM is a system that aims to drop you into lobbies with players of a similar skill level to you, with the aim of making matches more even. However, although devs have confirmed this has always been present in CoD, the general feeling is that it has gotten much stricter in recent years.
According to CoD leaker RalphsValve, SBMM is going to be “revised” in this year’s title, with the aim of making it far less restrictive. He revealed that MW2’s matchmaking will be “less debilitating” and the devs are concerned about “disciplining” better players.
By loosening the SBMM, it means that a wider range of abilities will make up each match. Whereas at the moment, the very best players are subjected to incredibly sweaty lobbies every time.
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However, the same leaker did also mention that the controversial disbanding of lobbies after each game will remain in place.
CoD expert TheXclusiveAce made a video on the apparent leaks, where he welcomed the idea of SBMM being more lenient. He felt that the current system ‘alienates’ high skilled players by giving them a “significantly harder experience” than a casual player.
He added that by taking a different approach to matchmaking, Modern Warfare 2 can strike the perfect balance of being welcoming to new players while retaining a “feeling of accomplishment.”
As is always the case with leaks like this, be sure to take the information with a pinch of salt until Activision or Infinity Ward confirm the news. But there’s no doubt that this would be a huge change to CoD multiplayer that fans have been eager to see for some time.