Call of Duty is a massive franchise that has been around for a long time. In all these years, the game has gone through a lot of changes. In terms of visuals and mechanics, it is almost unrecognizable compared to the older titles. Especially one aspect of the game that has been ‘improved’ significantly is the online competitive modes.

The implementation of Skill Based Match Making aka SBMM was both a catalyst of love and hate. To make the battlefield fair for all kinds of players, the development team added a smart algorithm in the game that matches up players with the same amount of experience and skills to give them better competition. 

Call of Duty’s love/hate story with SBMM

The skill-based system is a revolutionary mechanic. It was developed with the players in mind. The system is most appreciated as it gives a chance to the player who isn’t that into the game and is just there to have some casual fun. But the veterans and obsessive players criticize this mechanic every chance they get. 

Because of the Fair matchmaking, players who have invested way too much time in the game honing their skills don’t get the satisfaction of killing vast numbers of inexperienced players in the lobbies. According to them, the mechanic has ruined the fun of the online multiplayer of Call of Duty. 

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“It was so much more fun not knowing how the next match would be. Sometimes I’d be stuck with the worst players in the world and absolutely dominate the lobby, and other times I’d have my cheeks spr*ad wide open by the sweatiest basement dwelling neckbearded tryhards and get 0 kills/20 deaths. That was honestly half the fun.” said a fan on Reddit.

The fans also reminisced about the phenomenon, called the “Christmas Noobs” which had become impossible after the SBMM. During this time of the year, many new players would usually start playing the game, with gives a fresh supply of inexperienced players or ‘Noobs’. This may be fun for the veterans but, constantly getting killed in the lobbies definitely ruins the experience for many new players during Christmas.  

The fans’ perspective

An avid fan of Call of Duty Black ops 2 posted a screenshot of the holiday message from the developers to all players, warning them about the new players joining during Christmas. The caption of the post said, “Once upon a time there was no skill-based matchmaking in [COD]”. Many fans and veterans shared their thoughts about SBMM in the replies.

In the end, it is hard to tell which side the developers should proceed with respect to SBMM. While the innovative mechanics level the playing field, it also makes the loyal veterans hang up their guns. What do you think about the SBMM in Call of Duty? Do you think it ruins the game? Let us know in the comments below!

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