Black Ops 7 will launch without controversial skill-based matchmaking system, Activision confirms

Activision has announced that skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) will not be enabled by default in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 after years of criticism from players and feedback from the game’s beta.

The details:

• Since the release of the Modern Warfare reboot in 2019, SBMM has remained a controversial topic among the community. The system focused on matching players with those of a similar skill level rather than connection, resulting in highly competitive games, even in the more casual public match playlists. It also notably led to lobbies being disbanded after each game and longer search times.
• Many fans have called upon Activision to scrap the system over the years, eventually leading to Treyarch implementing an “open” playlist with SBMM dialed down significantly in the recent Black Ops 7 beta. Almost immediately, it was met with overwhelming praise from players, sharing how enjoyable it was to play games with people of different playstyles and skill levels while being able to get into matches almost instantly.
• The studio has now announced that the non-SBMM setting that was enabled during the beta will be enabled by default for the first time in years. The decision has been met with acclaim from fans, with many believing that the long-awaited move is a result of pressure from EA’s Battlefield 6. BF6 has been met with praise from reviewers so far and is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year.