Call of Duty YouTuber Tdawgsmitty has initiated a petition to eliminate skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) from the franchise's unranked multiplayer lobbies. This move follows successful player-led protests within the Destiny community that prompted developer Bungie to alter its game support plans.
Tdawgsmitty, a vocal critic of SBMM in Call of Duty, has employed various methods to draw attention to the issue, including daily tweets to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Inspired by the impact of the Destiny protests, he is now attempting to galvanize the Call of Duty player base with a formal petition. Launched recently, the petition garnered over 500 signatures within its first hour.
The petition's primary objective is the complete removal of SBMM from unranked Call of Duty matches. It highlights player dissatisfaction with the current system, suggesting that Activision's reliance on data analysts for matchmaking priorities has led to consistently challenging public lobbies. The petition argues that this setup undermines the ability for players to experiment with different weapons, relax after work, or play with friends of varying skill levels. Instead, it advocates for SBMM to be confined to ranked play, where a competitive experience is explicitly sought by participants.
The petition's description references statements from former Call of Duty developer Brian Bright, who indicated that Activision's matchmaking strategies evolved to incorporate data scientists working with the marketing department to implement more SBMM. This history, the petition argues, raises questions about the current priorities in matchmaking.
This initiative comes shortly before the release of Modern Warfare 4, a title expected to feature a SBMM system that was introduced in Black Ops 7 earlier this summer. Many players find Call of Duty's SBMM overly punitive, leading to perceived unfairness and years of multiplayer frustration.
The success of player-driven change remains to be seen, though the recent developments with Destiny 2 offer a precedent. Bungie announced plans to restore vaulted content and continue supporting Destiny 2 after facing significant backlash and player boycotts of its new title, Marathon. Tdawgsmitty cited this event as evidence that community action can yield results, stating on Twitter that the Destiny news demonstrates that "we can use our voice and effect change. It's time for the COD community to step up and get some much needed changes to the direction its been headed."
While a unified Call of Duty community, through petitions and online engagement, might influence change, the franchise's massive scale could present a significant hurdle. In August, IGN spoke with the lead multiplayer developers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 regarding their approach to SBMM. Multiplayer Design Lead Jacky Reynolds acknowledged that SBMM is an ongoing conversation with no easy solutions. He emphasized the desire for players to have fun and experience varied matches, noting that while he and his team focus on game development, they are observing how the matchmaking system evolves.