“We’re Listening” – Apex Legends Director on Skill Based Matchmaking

Every big name in the gaming industry is looking to make a mark in the coming years. EA in particular has stepped up with strong titles and announcements. Gamespot had a talk with the Director of one of their biggest games, Apex Legends. Furthermore, the Director was asked his views on Skill Based Matchmaking (SBMM) in the game. The free-to-play battle royale by Respawn Entertainment was EA’s answer to other established ones in the market.

Chad Grenier on SBMM in Apex Legends

Chad Grenier, the Director of the game opened up about everything new coming this year. During the EA Play event, it was announced that Apex Legends will be coming to Switch and Steam. Even better, the game will also support Cross-play gaming.

Grenier says they’re trying to do what is best for the same. They find it hard to accommodate both beginners and experienced players in one space. However, they are actively trying to give everyone a good experience.

“There are multiple sides to the story. We’re trying to evaluate all of the data and trying to do what’s best for the game as a whole. It’s really tough because you’ve got some beginner players or mediocre players, middle of the road, and you want them to have a good experience“, Grenier said.

In most competitive games, the newbies have a hard time. Players with experience or players that have spent bucks on in-game items are most likely to have the upper hand. This kills the experience a new player looks to have in the game.

Grenier adds that the players should be engaged with occasional wins. If not, this kills the fun and they are unlikely to get back in the game. The Director doesn’t want highly-skilled players to stomp the beginners as that’ll always be a bitter experience to the latter. He added that they are looking to find that balance.

Future plans

Apex Legends is also recording the highest player count, players retention and hours played per week since launch. Season 5 of the game is the most successful so far according to Grenier.

He continued saying the team will continue to tweak and listen to what the players want. He wants gamers to speak up so that they could make the game even better.

“We’ll continue to tweak, iterate, listen. We’re always tweaking things in the back in the matchmaking system. If people notice things are getting worse or better, speak up, because we’re listening and we’d love to make it right for everybody if that’s even possible”

Most games these days are far away from SBMM; the very addition that is one of the most polarizing features in gaming. EA looks to change that around with Apex Legends. The game is likely clocking in all these numbers because they cater to their players. With luck, other developers too might take note of this and make the much-needed tweaks. What is your take on SBMM? What solution do you think would be ideal? Leave your thoughts on the comments below.