The Black Ops 7 beta is underway, and on the third day, Treyarch introduced a shocking surprise to all players: a low-SBMM playlist in the multiplayer.
SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) is a topic that many community members have complained about or talked about over the years. This is a matchmaking system that considers skill level above other factors when pairing players, meaning lobbies usually have similarly skilled players, leading to a more ranked feeling in casual playlists.
The conversation became louder when Modern Warfare (2019) was released, as this matchmaking philosophy was more evident from that point onwards. Although players have complained and Activision has addressed it in multiple posts before, nothing has been done to change this... until now.
An update for the third day of the beta added a new playlist called Open Moshpit, where "skill consideration is drastically reduced when matchmaking." Treyarch adds that "this playlist will match players with and against players of more varied skill differences than in the current Multiplayer matchmaking system."
Many players have started to comment on this new playlist on social media, with some saying that matchmaking times are quicker and lobbies do have a mix of good and bad players. Overall, the sentiment seems positive, at least among the people who are reporting on X (formerly Twitter).
As of now, nothing is set in stone, meaning we don't know if this playlist or low-SBMM matchmaking will be permanently added to the game when it launches. Treyarch already acknowledged the player's response to this playlist and noted that "beta is all about trying things, gathering data and being a part of the community dialogue."
Whether that means we will see the playlist in the game if the feedback around it stays positive, remains to be seen. In the meantime, you can check out this article to read all the general details about the game.
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