Developer Treyarch Studios has addressed claims that the latest entry in the Call of Duty series, Black Ops 7, may still be placing emphasis on player skill over network connection in its matchmaking system. This speculation arose after an earlier beta phase where the studio switched to an open matchmaking framework.

Players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 have been vocal about their beliefs that the game is utilizing a more stringent skill-based matchmaking system than the developers assert. A prominent YouTuber, Xclusive Ace, conducted tests to analyze these claims and subsequently shared the findings online.

The phrase skill-based matchmaking, commonly abbreviated as SBMM, circulates frequently among Call of Duty enthusiasts. Traditionally, earlier Call of Duty titles favored connection quality over skill, a practice that shifted in 2019 after the restart of the Modern Warfare series. This adjustment to the matchmaking process became a contentious topic among the game’s fanbase.