Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Director Says There’s Probably No Such Thing As ‘Perfected’ Matchmaking

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched just yesterday. As players push ahead, the game’s creators are already bracing for backlash. While complaints are inevitable, the latest Call of Duty has shipped with what appear to be restrictive matchmaking features, relying entirely on algorithmically determined skill-based matches. In response to the criticism, one of the game’s directors has chosen to be candid: the matchmaking system players have been waiting for probably doesn’t exist.

“I don’t know if there’s perfecting it,” Joe Cecot, 多人游戏 creative director, tells IGN. “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. And so, though we’re not talking about exact specifics on matchmaking, our end goal is that every match is a good match.”

While open matchmaking systems prioritize speed in finding a game, skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) balances internal data to pair players of similar skill levels. This system has existed in some form since the original Modern Warfare in 2007, the game that made the series an institution. However, the latest entry, Modern Warfare 4, appears to have shipped exclusively with SBMM-style matchmaking in effect—despite alternative options being available during the beta.

All matchmaking systems have their ups and downs. The merits and flaws of each are always up for debate. You’re less likely to be matched with someone content with the situation than with your perfect equal. Cecot is likely correct that a flawless matchmaking system is a pipe dream, though it’s an admittedly amusing admission from a company that has invested untold fortunes in parsing user data.