Call Of Duty Has Had Skill-Based Matchmaking Since 2007's Modern Warfare

Summary

• Despite what some gamers might think, Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) has been in Call of Duty since Modern Warfare in 2007.
• The news, which was previously rumored by a developer, was confirmed as part of an extensive white sheet produced by Activision surrounding its multiplayer methodology.
• While it wasn't nearly as refined as it is today, the fact remains, SBMM has been a core part of CoD's DNA, whether games choose to recognize it or not.

While many avid fans of Call of Duty's online multiplayer may assume that SBMM, or Skill-Based Matchmaking, is a recent introduction into the fold, that's not the case. In fact, according to Activision, SBMM has been a part of Call of Duty's multiplayer scene since 2007's original Modern Warfare. That means that, for nearly two decades, players have been experiencing SBMM, whether they knew it or not, and whether they liked it or not.

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All of this information comes via a 25-page extensive white page report from Activision surrounding matchmaking in multiplayer. It's an extremely transparent report that details a lot of the behind-the-scenes of what goes into Call of Duty's multiplayer, including why SBMM exists in the first place. If you're at all curious about the ins-and-outs of a large-scale endeavor, like Call of Duty, then it's well worth reading, and it can be found here.

That said, part of that report includes information about the origins of SBMM, which, as mentioned above, begins with the original Modern Warfare. It had been previously rumored that Modern Warfare introduced SBMM by a former Call of Duty developer in 2021, however, this is concrete proof from the owners of Call of Duty themselves.

Skill-Based Matchmaking Has Long-Time Roots in COD

In the sheet, Activision wrote the following:

Skill as a consideration has been a factor in matchmaking for Call of Duty from as early as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. In the early years of the franchise, our ability to formally experiment was limited, and so we iterated game by game on our matchmaking approach.

The keyword in all of this is: limited. Meaning that it's been a consideration for a long time, but due to a variety of factors, likely technology-related, it wasn't nearly as refined as it is today. In the past, players were able to manipulate what they assumed was the SBMM tech, and guides, such as this one, detailed some of those exploits.

Activision goes on to state that, "Since the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) our testing capabilities have improved substantially." That would line up with some gamers' viewpoints that SBMM really took off with the reboot of the Modern Warfare trilogy. Now, Activision is able to perform tests routinely to ensure that its SBMM systems are working as they should, such as the one they outlined in the white paper.

It appears that another white paper is due out before the end of the year, so it'll be interesting to see what revelations come from it. Either way, the level of transparency that Activision is showcasing certainly is remarkable.

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