Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) often sparks debate among Call of Duty players which is why many already have one question on their minds: Does Black Ops 6 have SBMM?
The launch of Black Ops 6 is slowly moving into view and ahead of COD Next 2024 and the beta, fans are wondering if Activision plans to stick with its existing philosophy or take a different path that could involve removing SBMM altogether.
With that said, find out whether Black Ops 6 will feature SBMM in this guide containing the latest intel.
Does Black Ops 6 have SBMM?
Even though the question gets asked a lot, Activision never addresses it directly. However, knowing that SBMM has been a thing for every game, it is safe to say that Black Ops 6 will have SBMM when it launches.
This matchmaking tendency will be present in every multiplayer mode the game has to offer, even casual playlists. As explained in a blog post talking about matchmaking, skill is always one of the factors taken into account when the game creates a lobby.
Activision does this to ensure the disparity between the best and worst players in the lobby "isn’t so vast that players feel their match is a waste of time." In other words, an experienced player with high stats won't easily find a lobby of players with newly created accounts or low-skill stats so often.
What is SBMM?
SBMM is an acronym that stands for Skill-Based Matchmaking. This is a widely known term in the industry used for those games with a matchmaking system that considers skill when creating a lobby.
There are several factors a game can look at when paring players, whether it is how far they are to allow for a better ping, the platform they're playing on, their input device (controller or mouse and keyboard), etc. However, if skill is also among those factors, matchmaking is immediately considered as SBMM.
Credit: Activision
SBMM has been present in Call of Duty games since Modern Warfare in 2007, however, it is apparent that the system has prioritized this factor in modern titles.
Activision explained that having skill as a factor in their matchmaking process has improved the variety of outcomes in players' games regardless of their skill level. That is why we expect SBMM to be present in Black Ops 6 and future titles.
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