Few topics get COD players as riled up as the discussion around SBMM, or skill-based matchmaking. Are multiplayer games always better when the balance is even, or is it fun to cast a wider net that leads to some matches where you dominate the lobby, and others where you struggle? Does a good connection and faster queue times trump closer rounds? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 developer Infinity Ward knows there are still “open questions around matchmaking” in the new COD game, “and some confusion about what we’ve shared,” so it’s given some answers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has only escalated the conversation.
The Modern Warfare 4 team has just taken to X to address the thorny topic of matchmaking, and “shed light on where things stand going into the MW4 beta.” To start with some context, Black Ops 7 Season 5, which kicked off in July, introduced a new matchmaking system that Treyarch said was inspired by “classic games” like the first Black Ops and BO2. It explained that this “builds on what we’ve learned, with smarter team balancing, wide match variety, improvements that help keep matches full, and a better overall experience for all players.”
Prior to that, BO7 had been using more open matchmaking, despite Activision’s previous publication of a white paper that revealed it had been secretly adjusting SBMM in casual lobbies to run tests, and believed having it on improved player retention. Following the introduction of this setup in Season 5, it now reports that “the initial batch of data is showing strong improvements with the new system.” As such, it will be present in the MW4 beta, although with the caveat that the team will “also have open matchmaking available so we can keep learning from both.”
IW adds some additional context. “First, this is not a return to the tighter matchmaking of recent games. Connection remains a top priority. Second, every call of Duty has had matchmaking that considers skill, including BO1 and BO2. But matchmaking has never been one switch. Location, time of day, playlist, party composition, platform, crossplay settings, and player population all affect how lobbies are built. The new system is finding a better balance across all of these for the best experience.”
The developer claims that since the Season 5 launch, “quit rates are down across every skill group. For more than half of players, they dropped 41%.” It adds that search times are down from Season 4, and average ping is better, although acknowledges this will still be most affected by “time of day, location, and your connection.” It adds that while top players are now facing tougher competition, “they’re quitting less,” but acknowledges that match variety remains important at that level. “The work isn’t done.”
“We know some players like open, but the issues were clear,” it continues. It claims that 80% of players across BO7 prior to Season 5 saw 32.7% higher quit rates, 14.4% fewer kills per minute, 5.3% lower win rates, and 59.2% more ‘not fun’ ratings. It notes that quit rates on the Nuketown 24/7 playlist “jumped 141%” (not too surprising given how oppressive a one-sided match can be in that situation), while “our most competitive players were leaving one in every three matches.”
Another feature that Infinity Ward intends to keep in MW4 is disbanding lobbies. “About 50% of players leave after the first match, and by game three, almost none of the original lobby remains,” it explains. “Backfilling takes longer. Starting fresh gets players into a match faster and lets us better prioritize ping.” While I can appreciate the rationale there, I’ll certainly admit that there have been times where I’ve been eager to stay in a session just because it felt good, or a satisfying rivalry had built up between some of the players.
In response to this statistic, players also note that the 50% stat can be somewhat misleading because it doesn’t take into account all the other factors that could cause someone to quit a lobby: being ready to prestige, wanting to change game mode, or dodging a repeated or unwanted map selection. On some level, there’s always been a sense that this is an unwinnable war: some players love SBMM, while others hate it, or would rather accept a less-balanced lobby where the connection is smoother.
These latest posts naturally stirred up that hive again: “We asked for feedback and you definitely gave it to us,” the Call of Duty account posted just eight hours later, “and that’s what a beta is for. So jump in, play the game, and help us make it even better. We’ll be here online, and in your lobbies, improving as we go. Matchmaking isn’t just data, it’s a feeling. So jump in, feel it for yourself in beta. Our only goal remains getting you fast, fun matches quickly that you want to play. So keep the feedback coming.” I’m certain the audience will.