Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 dropped just yesterday. As players soldier ahead, the game’s creators are already on the defensive front. While kvetching is inevitable, the latest Call of Duty has shipped with seemingly limiting matchmaking features, instead revolving entirely on algorithmically decided skill-based matches. In response to criticism, one of the game’s directors has decided to be frank: the matchmaking system you’re waiting for probably doesn’t exist.
“I don’t know if there’s perfecting it,” Joe Cecot, multiplayer creative director, tells IGN. “We can look at the data and how it affects things, and we can quantify how it affects a certain group of players or a large percentage of them in a negative way. And so, though we’re not talking about exact specifics on matchmaking, our end goal is that every match is a good match.”
While open matchmaking systems will prioritize immediacy in setting up a game, skill-based matchmaking (or SBMM) will balance internal data to pair players of similar efficiency. This system has existed in some form in the game all the way back to the first Modern Warfare in 2007, the game that made the series an institution. However, the latest entry, Modern Warfare 4, has seemingly shipped exclusively with SBMM-style matchmaking in effect. This is despite alternative options being accessible during the beta.
There’s a number of reasons SBMM tends to ruffle people’s feathers. On the more superficial side, going on an ego trip is more difficult. Against equally-matched peers you’re less likely to go on a constant tear, pancaking newer or less skilled players in open matches. If you’re consumed by your kill to death ratios, it’ll get under your skin. On the more substantial side, however, SBMM can lead to longer wait times, either as the matchmaker puts in more work or pairs players regardless of geographical or connection latency issues. Open matchmaking will simply pluck the best available players from a hat, which isn’t always fair, but it can be a good time.
All matchmaking systems have their ups and downs. The sins and graces of each always up for contention. You’re less likely to be matched with someone content with the situation than your perfect equal. Cecot is likely correct that the flawless matchmaking system is a pipe dream, though it’s an admittedly amusing reveal from a company that has invested untold fortunes on parsing user data.
