Modern Warfare 4 Boss Responds to SBMM Backlash as Players Call It “Miserable

Infinity Ward has addressed the controversial matchmaking system in Modern Warfare 4, insisting that its priority is ensuring every Multiplayer match is a good experience for players.

Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been a major talking point in recent years, with many fans arguing that it makes every match feel overly competitive. Black Ops 7 attempted to address these complaints by introducing Open Matchmaking, which placed less emphasis on player skill.

However, the introduction of Classic matchmaking in Season 5 sparked fresh backlash, as players complained that matches had become noticeably more difficult.

Despite the criticism, Infinity Ward doubled down on Classic matchmaking for MW4, citing data showing improvements to player retention, queue times, and match quit rates compared to Open.

Now, with Modern Warfare 4 live, Multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot has discussed the studio’s approach to matchmaking.

Infinity Ward explains Modern Warfare 4’s approach to matchmaking

Speaking to IGN, Cecot admitted that finding the perfect matchmaking system might not be possible.

“I don’t know if there’s perfecting it,” he said. “For us, I think the most important thing when we look at matchmaking is that the matches we put together are good matches.”

Cecot explained that Infinity Ward also studies player data to understand how its matchmaking decisions affect different players.

“And we’re also looking at the players and their experience, and we can look at the data and how it affects things, and we can quantify how it affects a certain group of players or a large percentage of them in a negative way.”

However, he stopped short of revealing exactly how MW4’s matchmaking operates or whether any adjustments are planned.

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“Though we’re not talking about exact specifics on matchmaking, our end goal is that every match is a good match,” he added.

Modern Warfare 4 players want Open Matchmaking back

Despite Infinity Ward’s intentions, the game’s launch has been met with a wave of criticism from players unhappy with the matchmaking.

“Sbmm makes mw4 the most miserable experience to date… kill, die, repeat forever,” read one X post, while another added: “They cranked it up some more. Just for good measure.”

“The SBMM just tops it all off, every single lobby is a CDL final, 0 fun,” wrote another player.

It’s also worth noting that YouTuber TheXclusiveAce found that some playlists MW4 may actually have more Open Matchmaking, despite not being labelled that way. He explained that any modes listed under ‘Popular’ actually use the more forgiving system, as well as persistent lobbies.

So, if you do want experience-toned-down SBMM, it’s best to select the likes of Search and Destroy or Team Deathmatch from here, rather than choosing Quick Play.

While Cecot’s comments offer some insight into Infinity Ward’s thinking, the studio has yet to confirm whether Open Matchmaking will return or if changes are coming to the current system.