One topic that already provided plenty of conversation in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the so-called Skill-based matchmaking (short: SBMM). Since the release of the shooter in autumn 2019, there have been regular debates as to whether the system is really part of the game – most recently the former studio boss of Sledgehammer Games confirmed the existence of the system, at least for Call of Duty: WW2.
Although the developers of Call of Duty: Warzone claim that there would be no SBMM in the Battle Royale offshoot, many players still feel that it exists. The YouTuber TheXclusiveAce has now got to the bottom of the question with a detailed test:
This is how the test worked
For his test, the YouTuber used four different accounts to represent the different skill levels:
- Extremely high skill: For this he used the account of the multiple CoD world champion Karma.
- High skill: There he used his own account because he sees his own abilities as well above average, but not at a professional level.
- Average skill: Here he borrowed an account that has completely average statistics.
- Below average skill: For this he used a test account with which he has often intentionally lost games in the past.
The tester then used an external statistics website to check the in-game stats Kills per death (K / D) as well Score per minute (SPM) of the last 100 opponents of the respective accounts. The basis here was only games in solo mode so that team members do not influence the statistics.
The result
TheXclusiveAce published its collected data in a Google document and compared its own statistics with the average stats of the last 100 opponents:
Own K / D against average enemy K / D
- Extremely high skill: 4.63 vs 1.2
- High skill: 2.06 vs 1.18
- Average skill: 1.1 vs 1.0
- Below-average skill: 0.7 vs 0.67
Own SPM against average enemy SPM
- Extremely high skill: 428 vs 173
- High skill: 252 vs 170
- Average skill: 163 vs 140
- Below average skill: 56 vs 87
Based on this data, the YouTuber is certain: Yes, skill-based matchmaking exists in CoD: Warzone.
He added that SBMM probably doesn't only exist – as many players suspect – in the below-average skill area, where it could serve to protect beginners. It is too obvious that players of all skill levels are matched with similarly strong players.
The tester also has a theory about whether Infinity Ward lied to his players ice cold: he suspects that the developers really assumed that SBMM was not part of Warzone and that – similar to CoD: WW2 – by Publisher Activision has been implemented in the game.