In XDefiant’s Year 1 Roadmap, it mentions “Player Protection” as one of the main things players can look forward to during the game’s first four seasons. For those thinking that this means that SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) will come into play after launch, don’t be.
Over on Twitter/X, Executive Producer Mark Rubin confirmed that the XDefiant player protection being mentioned there is about cheaters, toxicity and the like, and not about SBMM.
Player protection refers to cheaters and toxic players. We don't use sbmm in casual play unless you play in the welcome playlist.
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) May 3, 2024
As you can see, Rubin confirmed that SBMM won’t be available unless you’re in the “welcome” playlist. This alone should make a lot of games enjoyable and less predictable.
What Is SBMM?
Skill-based matchmaking, or more commonly known as SBMM, is a matching system a game uses to find other players for the player to compete against.
While different factors are considered, the chief priority of this seems to be matching you with the same skill level thus making sure each match is a competitive one. While this is fine in theory, it does lead to a predictable experience, and one that has leads to all games being “sweaty,” which can be very tiring on gamers.
The Call of Duty franchise has been chastised by fans with how strict the SBMM has been for the last few releases, which means almost every game you play in feels like you’re competing for the world championships.
If you did play the XDefiant server test session and felt that matches felt a bit sweaty or that you were playing against some damn good enemies, then you probably were. Rubin adds that in beta, it’s usually the “top players” who are participating rather than casuals, which is understandable.
Generally top players play betas. Less casuals.
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) May 6, 2024
XDefiant will launch this May 21 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with the PS4 and Xbox One versions now officially cancelled. You can check out the launch content for the F2P game here.
Stay tuned for coverage of the shooter here on MP1st, as we’ll be hosting gun guides, opinion pieces and more about it.
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