Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is officially coming in November, bringing a host of new multiplayer improvements for fans to chew on. Treyarch has really leaned into revamping the movement system, with their “Omnimovement” allowing for full, 360 degree sprinting, diving, and sliding. There are plenty of othernew toys coming toBlack Ops 6with several fan favorite features that were absent in previous iterations, including round-based zombies and a more traditional perk system.
But even before release, there’s something already plaguing theCall of Duty: Black Ops 6multiplayer experience. It’s a problem that’s been haunting everyCall of Dutygame for years and some players probably don’t even know it exists. It’s been negatively impacting the franchise for longer than anyone could guess, andBlack Ops 6won’t be able to reach its full potential unless Treyarch finally addresses the elephant in the room.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Needs to Fix its Skill-Based Matchmaking
It doesn’t matter what improvements are made to multiplayer if Treyarch does not address the insidious damage the matchmaking system inflicts on the experience. Skill-based matchmaking has beenupsetting the flow of theCall of Dutymultiplayerfor years; some players still aren’t fully aware of the effects it’s been having on their matches.
Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been inCall of Dutytitles since as early as 2007 with the originalCall of Duty: Modern Warfare.What it essentially does ismatch similarly skilledCall of Dutyplayers togetherbased on an invisible number assigned to players that changes with their performance. In theory, it’s meant to prevent players of lower skill levels being pitted against seasoned series veterans and having miserable games. It’s not inherently bad by any means and when implemented right; it can make games a lot more fair for everyone playing them. The problem is it isn’t always implemented well.
Does Call of Duty Need Skill-Based Matchmaking?
Call of Duty’s SBMM has seen plenty of criticismin years past, and with good reason. It’s incredibly common to still end up in wildly mismatched lobbies despite the supposed matchmaking system at play. Playing even just one afternoon of aCall of Dutygame will result in at least a dozen matches with one team completely and hopelessly outgunned.
Some players feel that it unfairly penalizes them for above-average performance. One stellar match causes their MMR to rise, placing them into much, much harder games for an indeterminate amount of time. This is one of the more common issues with SBMMs in general, and pastCall of Dutygames are no exception to this, as one or two good games can get a better-than-average player in over their head.
There’s even an argument to be made that SBMM doesn’t belong inCall of Dutyat all, and that matchmaking should be left solely up to chance. The idea is that the game would be more fun if teams were not evenly matched 100% of the time, eliminating the need to try extra hard against equally matched opponents every single game. This would, of course, result in horribly mismatched games more often, but it would also mean that players are more likely to have more of those overwhelming victories. 50/50 odds are pretty dicey when it’s a one-time gamble, but even if every match is a 50/50 gamble (which it likely wouldn’t be, in reality) individuals will have about as many good games as bad.
There are a fewalternatives toCall of Duty’s current SBMM system, the most obvious of which being straight up removing any sort of matchmaking system at all. While this would result in more or less evenly dispersed chaos in theory, it’s more than understandable why Treyarch would want some level of balance with its matchmaking. Steamroll games, one way or the other, get old very quickly and keeping them to a minimum is key to player retention.
Thebest option for Treyarch beforeBlack Ops 6dropsis also probably the most difficult. Fixing the existing matchmaking system is a tall order, but the long term benefits of doing so will benefit the playerbase for years to come. Reworking it so that one-off games don’t impact MMR dramatically one way or the other might make SBMM almost invisible all on its own. Creating an environment where lopsided games are a rarity instead of an everyday occurrence can go a long way towards keeping the playerbase engaged with games that are always winnable.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
