It’s a pivotal moment in gaming’s ongoing discourse: Treyarch revealed that their much-anticipated Black Ops 7 will embrace a matchmaking style that minimizes skill consideration by default. This approach marks a significant shift away from the strict competitive matchmaking model of prior titles, a method many believe dulls the gaming experience.

“Simply put, imagine the matchmaking experience of Open Moshpit from the Beta, but as the standard in Black Ops 7 on day one,” Treyarch stated. “Our team feels strongly about offering players a more varied experience, and the Beta proved to be a valuable opportunity to trial this strategy.”

Fans have long voiced concerns that skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) leads to monotonous playstyles, reducing the thrill of overwhelming victories and the excitement that comes from unexpected defeats.

This year-long debate has seen the community divided, with many vocal criticisms stemming from high-skill players longing for a more casual, public game feel. Treyarch aims to respond to this feedback, offering reassurances of persistent lobbies that will maintain rivalries across matches.

Key Highlights:

• Skill consideration reduced, reverting to a more traditional matchmaking approach.
• Players can expect persistent lobbies, ensuring that past matches affect what happens next.
• Ongoing tuning for aim assist will also be implemented before the game’s launch.

These changes are monumental as they revolutionize what has been expected from the Call of Duty series for years, likely coinciding with the imminent release of Battlefield 6.