Call of Duty dropping SBMM in favor of system inspired by classic games for BO7, and hopefully MW4 too

Call of Duty’s matchmaking has been a topic of conversation for the better part of a decade, and it’s one that’s been discussed ad nauseum.

For Black Ops 7 last year, Activision toned down the vaunted “skill-based matchmaking” that made the previous few games feel like a sweat-fest in every mode. And today, publisher Activision said it will be continuing in that direction moving forward, inspired by recent success of classic titles.

“Over the past year, we’ve continued to learn a lot about multiplayer matchmaking through player data and community feedback,” Activision said. “We’re also excited to see all the recent love for Black Ops and Black Ops 2, which reinforced that there are many elements of those experiences that players appreciate.”

Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 released recently as ports for PS5, and have become a big hit, both entering the top-10 of most-played games on the platform. It’s become clear that players enjoy the old style of matchmaking that factored in skill way less, so the games wil react accordingly.

In light of this, with BO7’s season five tomorrow, Activision said it will be “updating Black Ops Classic, Quick Play, and Party Games in Black Ops 7 with a new matchmaking system inspired by those classic games.”

BO7’s initial change in matchmaking, the “Open” playlist option with less SBMM, will continue on. And it will also be an option in the Modern Warfare 4 beta coming in August. Based on feedback over the next couple months, it’s possible that MW4 could also bring the “classic” style of matchmaking along with it. At least, that’s the hope.

As I get older, I definitely hope to sweat less in multiplayer games. Recent CoD titles became a chore to play at times as the system would often punish you for doing well. BO7 feels less punishing in a way, but I’m very curious to see how this new-yet-old system will feel when season five drops tomorrow.

And if it feels good, the hope is that MW4 will follow suit in October.

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