Summary
Sledgehammer Games isn’t interested in publicly discussing skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, as suggested by the fact that it ignored a large volume of fan questions about the polarizing feature in its latest Reddit AMA. This turn of events is a fairly strong indicator that the studio has no intention toadjust SBMM inModern Warfare 3, in spite of the fandom’s repeated pleas to do so.
Much like its full name implies, SBMM is a form of matchmaking that prioritizes the players' relative skill levels when forming lobbies. AlthoughCall of Dutygames have consistently experimented with such systems over the past two decades, most opted for fairly subtle implementations. That approach changed with the 2019Modern Warfarereboot, which introduced a fairly aggressive form of SBMM that persisted throughout all of the subsequent franchise entries. Manyfans were hoping thatModern Warfare 3would rethink SBMMin order to deliver a more accessible multiplayer experience for casual players, but that hasn’t come to pass.
Call of Duty: MW3 Devs Ignored Hundreds of SBMM Questions
Sledgehammer’s November 19 Reddit AMA was consequently dominated by inquiries about the studio’s views on and plans for SBMM; out of the top 2,000 most upvoted questions and their immediate child comments in the thread, over 400 asked about the possibility of toning down or outright eliminating skill-based matchmaking fromModern Warfare 3. Yet the developer ignored all such queries, even though it was otherwise extremely responsive and answered dozens of other questions over the course of its three-hour AMA.
The closest Sledgehammer got to touching upon the issue of SBMM was when it revealed that it plans tobegin testing permanent multiplayer lobbies inModern Warfare 3. The removal of non-disbanding lobbies fromCall of Dutygames coincided with the series' efforts to double down on SBMM in 2019, which led many fans to conclude that the former is a side effect of the latter.
MW3 Devs Suggested SBMM Isn’t To Blame for the Removal of Disbanding Lobbies From COD
But correlation might not necessarily imply causation in this instance, as the pivot away from permanent lobbies could also be a result of the ever-growing list of multiplayer modes that are nowadays present inCall of Dutygames. Specifically, if many players are constantly switching modes, then disbanding lobbies between matches can actually result in faster matchmaking than constantly battling roster gaps.
The fact that Sledgehammer is now clearly open to reintroducing non-disbanding lobbies while simultaneously giving the topic of SBMM a wide berth reinforces the possibility that the two are largely unrelated. That notwithstanding, it would appear that the fandom’s currentfrustrations with theModern Warfare 3SBMM issuesare bound to continue.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
