While we’ve already posted about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) woes, there’s still no official explanation from Infinity Ward or Activision. Well, if a recent tweet from a former head of studio is to be believed, it’s Activision pulling all the strings.
Over on Twitter, former COD pro player Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag spoke out on Call of Duty SBMM, and how he doesn’t understand why studios just don’t create a ranking system mode for the game/franchise.
I’ll never understand why Call of Duty goes through all of the trouble to implement skill based matchmaking but won’t add a ranking system. If you’re going to match me up against better players, why can’t I have a rank to be proud of and work towards?
— 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) March 25, 2020
I’ll never understand why Call of Duty goes through all of the trouble to implement skill based matchmaking but won’t add a ranking system. If you’re going to match me up against better players, why can’t I have a rank to be proud of and work towards?
As these things go, it was directed to someone familiar with these things, and that’s none other than former Sledgehammer Games boss Michael Condrey, who worked on Call of Duty: WWII. Condrey is now the president of 31st Union, a 2K Games owned studio based in California. Given he’s no longer employed by Activision, Condrey now has more freedom to talk about these things, and it seems, based on his tweet, the blame is all on Activision.
- Related Reading: Modern Warfare Bypass SBMM – Here’s How to Do It
Ask ATVI. Never directed into COD from me. Analytics, SB match making, monetization, dedi server coverage, etc all driven from ATVI central tech and production teams. Fustratingly little influence on those corp decisions despite their impact on our games and the COD community.
— Michael Condrey (@MichaelCondrey) March 27, 2020
Ask ATVI. Never directed into COD from me. Analytics, SB match making, monetization, dedi server coverage, etc all driven from ATVI central tech and production teams. Fustratingly little influence on those corp decisions despite their impact on our games and the COD community.
Given Condrey’s statement, this could very well be the same reason why Infinity Ward has refused to comment on it at all. I mean, they obviously can’t blame their parent company for one of the biggest gripes players have with their game, right?
While I don’t approve of SBMM or how strict it is in Modern Warfare, I kinda understand why Activision is doing it though. I mean , it should benefit new players and rope them in, which in turn, equals more revenue. Hopefully, there’s a good middle-ground players can be OK with soon.
More Call of Duty Reading:
All they need to do is look at Rainbow Six Siege and how they do it. Having match making targeted towards players under the rank of 30 to help them while offering a full ranked system.
When people who are negative to the system talk about “skill”, they only mean “KDR”. I see myself as a skilled objective player who don’t care much about KDR, but about winning. I think the current system works great, I seem to often meet other players who also play objective. If you are a high skilled player who only thinks about KDR, not objective, and only use the most powerful weapons, you are a pain for objective players to meet. I am happy that ATVI is matching them against each other. Sure I can understand that it is not fun for them to meet “themselves”, but it is their choice to play in such way.
There is tons about this on reddit, there is no way to convince such players not to focus on their KDR.
I think they have loosened up a little lately, it is not as strict as it used to be.
Regarding Nadeshot, I saw the DrDisrespect stream when he and Nadeshot + one, starting loosing in Warzone, because they met good players, up until then they had won every match. Probably what triggered him to tweet this. They probably have to switch of SBMM to prevent this from happening again. LOL
Then you’re not a highly skilled player. KDR means nothing, it’s only a measurement for tryhards to j*ck off at glorious numbers when in reality they’re slow and dumb as hell. Camp in a corner with LMG and there you have the 8 KDR of the match.