Activision "secretly" turned off skill-based Call of Duty matchmaking and "turns out everyone hated it"

Activision researchers secretly disabled skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty multiplayer and "turns out everyone hated it."

The Call of Duty publisher recently published a sweeping 25-page paper delving into skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), a sometimes controversial system that aims to connect players with opponents of a similar skill level in multiplayer lobbies, and the company found that keeping SBMM intact is in everyone's best interest.

The "Matchmaking Series: The Role of Skill in Matchmaking" paper confirms that "while skill is one of many factors in matchmaking; it is not the driving force behind Call of Duty’s matchmaking system." Although, during the research process, when Activision "secretly progressively turned off SBMM and monitored retention," it seemed that "everyone hated it, with more quitting, less playing, and more negative blowouts."

"Playing a better opponent may push players to become more proficient over time, but being severely outperformed in their matches, our testing has shown, instead leads players to quit matches in progress or to not play multiplayer," Activision explains.

All evidence points to SBMM sticking around for the long run since Activision believes the majority of players can engage in "all parts of Call of Duty's game design in core multiplayer" with SBMM turned on. Regardless, the publisher is "considering a single core multiplayer playlist that does not use skill as a factor in matchmaking," though ""historical testing reveals that low- and mid-skill players would be unlikely to participate in such a playlist."

Activision found that SBMM creates games where "players can contribute meaningfully to their team, not only with wins, but for their own personal records and achievements." The system can also avoid the frustration of consistently being "on the wrong side of blowout matches," which usually leads to players quitting mid-game, a move that "negatively impacts the experience for players of all skill levels." It's no fun to play against a team that's getting squashed and then prematurely quits - and it's even less fun to be on the opposite side, essentially. Activision is looking into similar experiments later this year, so this isn't a closed case yet.

Activision Blizzard is reportedly already making games with AI, and quietly sold an AI-generated microtransaction in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.