Black Ops 7 Dev Addresses Skill-Based Damage Theory

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 design director Matt Scronce has responded to ongoing theories that the shooter has a secret skill-based damage system that alters a player’s damage value depending on their overall skill. While it’s no secret that Call of Duty has used a skill-based matchmaking system for many years, from 2019’s Modern Warfare up until Black Ops 7, many believe their damage output is being adjusted on the fly depending on numerous statistics such as kill to death ration, win streaks, and more.

When it comes to competitive multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield, matchmaking plays a huge role in shaping the overall player experience, influencing both the level of competition and how enjoyable or frustrating each match feels. During the open beta of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch Studios finally gave fans something they had been requesting for years: a return to the shooter’s more traditional matchmaking system. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 went on to launch with minimal skill-based matchmaking in the majority of its playlists. There are pros and cons to this decision, but the community made it clear that this was the direction they wanted the shooter to take.

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Call of Duty Dev Says Black Ops 7 Does Not Have Skill-Based Damage

Players now have the opportunity to experience multiplayer matches where skill is minimally considered in Black Ops 7‘s open playlists, but that hasn’t stopped many from theorizing that a different type of skill-based system has been implemented. Conversations around a potential skill-based damage system have been ongoing for years now, but these theories quickly ramped up with the latest Black Ops titles. Now, designer director Matt Scronce has dismissed the idea that such a controversial system exists. In a response to Twitter user Reidboyy, the developer said, “I can promise you, there’s nothing behind the scenes modifying any of our damage values.”

This response came after Reidboyy quote retweeted a post discussing an apparent patent from Sony that dynamically adjusts players in multiplayer titles for real-time augmentation to maintain an even playing field between players. The user then said, “People really tried to call me crazy every time I tell them skill based damage is 100% real and in the game,” but was promptly shut down my Scronce, who said there is no secret system modifying damage values.

It’s believed that the supposed skill-based damage system takes into account a player’s win streak, kill to death ratio, overall skill bracket, and many other factors, and then reduces or increases the damage value of bullets when shooting enemies. This is, of course, merely speculation. What is more than likely the cause of this theory is simple hit registration issues in Call of Duty, something that has been a problem in the series and many other fast-paced multiplayer shooters for a long time. Network lag can often delay the time it takes for a hit to register and server desync can make what one player sees and experiences completely different to what another does.

Despite Scronce dismissing the latest Black Ops 7 conspiracy and telling fans no, Treyarch isn’t actively nerfing players in real-time, fans don’t seem to be convinced. One user called it “blatant gaslighting,” while another said, “From a game company that constantly lies, this is pointless.” Others rightly pointed out that this is more so a server issue and not some giant conspiracy. “Desync for days,” one player said, and another questioned, “So, next code issues?”