Respawn Entertainment Devs Dazzle Fans With Massive Apex Legends SBMM Update Ahead Of Season 16 Launch

After years of speculation, Respawn Entertainment has finally revealed a massive change for Apex Legends matchmaking.

Last month, Apex Legends leaks stormed the internet, claiming big changes on the way. However, with no response from the authorities, the rumors were stacked up in the trash, waiting for confirmation. On top of that, fans were disappointed as they came in with a ray of hope. 

Throughout its time in the market, Apex Legends fans faced major issues and glitches in the game. Since its official launch in 2019, they listed various things that had room for improvement. Keeping that in mind, the devs also took necessary actions to keep the quality and fanbase intact. However, the devs could not adhere to one problem, which became the center of all to date. So, before you sit down to think, let us break it down because it was none other than skill-based matchmaking. 

After years of speculation, Respawn finally uploaded a breakdown of how the game used SBMM. In addition to that, they also penned down thoughts about how they are testing a new algorithm that would turn things around big time. 

Apex Legends devs announce New SBMM algorithm for fans 

First, let’s understand how the Apex Legends algorithm matched up players in the game. Since 2019, the algorithm used three crucial aspects: Progression, Skill Rating, and Matching. Due to this, the AI made multiple mistakes, adding a player of low skill and high skill in the same match.

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For instance, you might remember the time when you were matched up against a 10,000 kills player when you only had a mere 100 kills. This was because the game picked the skill of the highest player of the squad, irrespective of whether the others were far lower than them. Plus, the game took into consideration player level, as it sent out major rewards on level progression. 

Due to this, players called quits on the game as they were fed up to match against the pros. After all, not every player jumped in to destroy the lobby. Most of them just wanted to take some time off and enjoy post-work. So, looking at this concern, the devs launched a new SBMM AI that might turn things around. Here’s how it looks. 

‘In our tests across multiple queues, the new skill measurement system achieves this goal. Below is a plot showing the win rate for a squad as the squad’s skill rating advantage over its opponent increases.

• When the advantage is less than 0 (left of 0 on the plot), this means the squad is of lower skill than its opponent, and naturally we see their win rate below 50%. The win rate decreases further as the skill gap grows.
• An advantage of roughly 0 represents a similar skill rating between the squad and its opponent, which means a 50/50 chance for both squads to win an encounter. 
• When the advantage is more than 0 (right of 0 on the plot), this means the squad is of higher skill than its opponent, and the win rate for the squad goes above 50%, and increases as the skill gap increases.’

While these justify the main changes, there are a few more that one can look out for. They are available on the official Apex Legends website.

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