Modern Warfare 3 players call out beta SBMM for creating “sweaty” matches
Activision Modern Warfare 3 players are disgruntled with the beta’s matchmaking system and have called for changes.
Modern Warfare 3‘s beta is in its second week of testing, with Highrise now playable in the stacked throwback map pack. Alongside that, Cutthroat and Search & Destroy have been added to the beta.
So far, fan feedback has been generally positive around Modern Warfare 3’s beta. The combination of old maps and new gameplay innovations has created a positive experience for players after previous entries have burned bridges.
But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. An underlying issue the past few Call of Duty titles have faced has caused fans to lose their enjoyment and take to the forums to air out their frustrations.
Modern Warfare 3 fans demand matchmaking be changed
A major irritation amongst the player base has been skill-based matchmaking, aka SBMM. Essentially, Call of Duty’s matchmaking system will place players against similarly skilled opposition.
It may not sound like a red flag, but the issue becomes present based on performance. If you performed well in your previous match, your next matches will unfold like a ranked experience. It’s a problem that’s been at the forefront of player frustration for those who want to crush matches and get some of CoD’s higher killstreaks.
The MW3 beta seemingly uses a similar matchmaking system, and players have had enough. Taking to the MW3 Reddit, they voiced their various frustrations.
A huge issue with the current matchmaking system is it doesn’t always take into account player connections. Thus, players have experienced jarring experiences where gunfights feel unfair.
“Hopped on today to play and WTF are these connections? Jesus” a Reddit user mentions. They claimed “I may fire 5 shots at an enemy, but they’ll 1-shot drop and delete me instantly.”
Plenty of clips have been shared that show how SBMM works, with the end result being shocking.
Was messing around with my 2nd Testing Account comparing SBMM to my normal account in case anyone was wondering if its in the #MWIII Beta
— James – JGOD (@JGODYT) October 14, 2023
The difference is always kinda crazy… pic.twitter.com/2UP6TFjyB5
However, some players have given up their fight against the matchmaking systems, as summarized with a simple “It will never go.”
SBMM in video games has been an issue for the past few years, and it seems Modern Warfare 3 is no different. Changes will not likely happen, but maybe Sledgehammer Games has a few tricks up its sleeve before MW3 launches to make it less strict.