Modern Warfare 4 Studio Head Promises SBMM Transparency Soon

Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby responds to a fan asking about the inclusion of skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, responding by promising transparency soon. Ahead of the big summer showcases like Summer Game Fest, Activision and INifnity Ward revealed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, showcasing a first look at the upcoming game, including its overarching story and characters like the return of Captain John Price.

Taking place on the Korean Peninsula, the conflict eventually threatens to pull in the rest of the world, tasking characters like Price and Private Park, a South Korean soldier, to find a solution before things get out of control. In addition to a brand-new campaign, Modern Warfare 4 also features a multiplayer suite of game modes as well as the return of DMZ. The latter of which has been redesigned for what INfinity Ward is calling the definitive Call of Duty extraction shooter experience and brings with it new features like dynamic weather, objectives, and hostile forces moving throughout the zone.

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Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Have SBMM?

However, primarily being an online experience, fans have been wondering how that matchmaking will be handled. Call of Duty is no stranger to SBMM controversy, with Black Ops 7 experiencing several rounds of fan frustrations. While Activision or Infinity Ward have yet to comment on the state of SBMM in Modern Warfare 4, news is apparently on the way. In order to get ahead of the narrative, Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby responded to a fan asking about SBMM. According to Grigsby, the studio is preparing to be transparent about this side of the game, promising that all would be revealed soon.

Fit the 9 games into the grid.

Although Grigsby offered no details at the moment, the acknowledgment has seemingly gone down well with players in general. Responses to Grigsby have ranged from hope that Infinity Ward has found a solution, some who are in awe that the studio head is actually responding to a question like this, to others who are using the opportunity to ask more questions about potential features. It’s clear that many are hoping Infinity Ward brings back the open-style matchmaking used in previous versions of the game.

For multiplayer style games, skill-based matchmaking is primarily used to match players of a similar level, ultimately leading to matches that can feel more competitive. However, many players seem to want a more random experience, saving the highly skilled matches for more competitive modes like Ranked. The controversy over this feature in Call of Duty has been so loud over the years that Black Ops 7 even announced it was dumping SBMM prior to launch. The game attempted to utilize a sort of open matchmaking system, though fans questioned whether Treyarch fully stripped out SBMM in the end.

What’s That Weapon?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

What’s That Weapon?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

The fervor over this feature has since become an important selling point for many games, with Battlefield 6 addressing SBMM prior to launch, clarifying that it doesn’t solely rely on it as it’s only one part of a much bigger system. Many games like Apex Legends and Fortnite have even adjusted or added new game modes that don’t use it at all as a testing ground or based on player feedback.