Is there skill-based matchmaking in Call of Duty: Warzone or not? This topic has already been discussed extensively in Modern Warfare, and now the discussion is arising for the battle royale spin-off as well. An expert has thoroughly examined this topic.
What is SBMM? This is a method in online games used to assemble game lobbies. SBMM stands for “skill-based matchmaking”. Players are matched into a lobby based on their skill level. So if you play too well, you might regret it, as the opponents will become progressively better as you perform excellently.
While other criteria also apply, lobbies in such a system are heavily based on the players’ skills. SBMM stands in contrast to the more desired “connection-based matchmaking”.
The CoD YouTuber and analyst “TheXclusiveAce” has now extensively dealt with the topic in one of his English videos and finds clear words, at least for the solo mode:
Skill-based matchmaking is apparently active in the Warzone
According to Ace’s analyses, there is SBMM in the Warzone. The collected data shows a clear result for him. The players in his tests, where he was able to analyze the data, matched the skill level of the accounts he used for the tests. For him, there is hardly any doubt about it.
How did he find that out? The YouTuber took four accounts with different skill levels and analyzed 100 opponents per account over multiple matches. He then compared the K/D, which is the kills to deaths ratio, and points per minute (“SPM” for “score per minute”) with the average values of the tracked enemies.
He accessed these values using the CoD Tracker and discovered a consistent trend – the better the performance of the account, the better the opponents were:
| Level | K/D | K/D Opponents | SPM | SPM Opponents |
| Top | 4.63 | 1.2 | 428 | 173 |
| Good | 2.06 | 1.18 | 252 | 170 |
| Average | 1.10 | 1.00 | 163 | 140 |
| Poor | 0.70 | 0.67 | 56 | 87 |
You can view the collected data of the 400 opponents and all diagrams in his Google Spreadsheet. Crossplay was activated throughout the entire test.
How certain is this now? Ace is quite sure after his analysis that the lobby assembly is strongly linked to the skills of the individual players. However, he had to make some compromises when it came to collecting and evaluating his data.
His analysis was only conducted in solo mode. While he is convinced that the game modes share the same matchmaking method, this is not yet certain. So he cannot say how the different skill levels within a team affect matchmaking.
Moreover, he had no access to all the data of his opponents. According to him, the CoD Tracker for Warzone does not have data from PC players and also does not list players who have changed their Activision name.
However, he also believes that this circumstance strengthens his result because players who change their Activision names usually engage more with the game and would therefore be better Warzone soldiers. The values of these players would, according to him, have shown even clearer data.
SBMM is a critical topic in the community
Why is SBMM such a problem? For many players, skill-based matchmaking contrasts with connection-based matchmaking. The discussions on Reddit have been running for months, with threads on the topic regularly receiving thousands of upvotes on the discussion platform. Although “TheXclusiveAce” proves the opposite with an analysis.
In the eyes of opponents of SBMM, this approach prevents optimal lobby assembly, so players with a good connection also encounter players with poorer pings. Additionally, reverse boosting is an issue.
Some players feel punished for good performances due to SBMM. “alphacentaurai” states on Reddit regarding the matchmaking of the regular multiplayer: “I feel actively punished for playing the game. ‘The match was good… let’s make sure the next 10 suck.'”.
On top of these points is the communication from the developers. Players believe that Infinity Ward is responding too little to soldiers’ requests. Back then, the developers remained silent when the issue arose in Modern Warfare, and the head of another Activision studio deleted some of his tweets regarding the topic.
However, a former insider recently spoke out. According to statements from a former director of Call of Duty (WWII and Advanced Warfare), the developers would have no means to part ways with SBMM. He claims that the directives come directly from Activision.
