It was just a side note in Epic’s latest developer update – and is causing heated discussions: a new, skill-based matchmaking in Fortnite: Battle Royale! Destiny had negative experiences with this. Fans are now fearing similar issues with Fortnite: Battle Royale.
“We are working on changes to the player search, aiming to fill matches with similarly skilled players.”
A rather inconspicuous paragraph in Epic’s last developer update that holds a lot of explosive content. Since its release, there has been an active discussion on Reddit and various forums about what this change actually means. What we know so far is that we actually know nothing.
Skill-based Matchmaking in Fortnite – Curse or Blessing?
A matchmaking that is based on players’ skills is called skill-based matchmaking or SBMM for short. Destiny players will remember, Bungie once altered the algorithm in Destiny 1, which did not go down well.
Specifically, the player search will be changed so that only players with similar skills land in a lobby. Various comparison criteria will be used, such as
- The K/D
- The win rate
- Number of games played
Therefore, at the beginning of each round, only players with similar values in the comparison criteria will be selected.
Criticism of Matchmaking – Epic Responds
Players are strongly opposing the announcement in various forums.
The reason: if all players are roughly equal in strength in each round, there will only be close matches, and every placement will be fought hard. Many players enjoy the switch between challenging and easier rounds, where players are not as strong.
They do not want to have to “sweat” in every game to succeed. A key element of Fortnite’s success is the easy entry, the ability to get far with minimal resources. Fans see this unique selling point in danger.
Epic has already commented on this. They have heard the feedback loud and clear. Before any changes are made, feedback will be collected and evaluated.
So far, Epic has been tight-lipped about concrete plans, but details will be revealed as plans progress.
What do you think about the matchmaking changes?
The first way to sweat in Fortnite: Battle Royale – First, get to know all the weapons:
Fortnite: Battle Royale – See all weapons in the game, including the best ones
