Three days after the beta version of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" opened, Activision released a patch note involving a new multiplayer mode that uses a skill-based matching system with less stringent SBMM requirements.This online matching mechanism, which runs in the background and is designed to pair players with people of similar skill levels, has become increasingly controversial among some competitive FPS players, and this is the first time Activision has backed down on the issue.

"As with everything in the beta, our collective goal is to gather important in-game data and feedback to make Black Ops 7 the best experience it can be," Activision wrote in the patch notes. "We're paying attention to the community discussions about matchmaking and will be making some planned updates to our game list."

Today (October 4), the beta will provide players with two queue-able game lists - Moshpit and Open Moshpit - both containing the same maps and modes.The patch notes continue: "In Open Moshpit, the consideration of skill when matching is greatly reduced, with the goal of providing a more diverse match experience and results. Compared to the current multiplayer matchmaking system, this game list will pair players with opponents or teammates with greater skill differences."

The main criticism of SBMM - especially from more hardcore, higher-skilled players - is that the team strength is always too balanced, which promotes high-intensity competitive play and eliminates the possibility of unexpected results or unconventional tactics.Since the SBMM ranking of a "Call of Duty" account seems to be retained between different games, this equilibrium state may become more solid over time.

There's an argument to be made that the developers, in an effort to ensure every match is as balanced as possible, removed key elements of chaos and fun.Low-ranked players cannot access high-level matches, and high-intensity competitive players cannot show off their skills in front of novices like the old-school "Counter-Strike 1.6" public server abusers.

Unlike clear competitive rankings, SBMM is invisible to players, a fact that further fuels distrust and conspiracy theories among the player base—even though Activision revealed the inner workings of Call of Duty SBMM last year.But before that, Activision had always been firm on the implementation of SBMM.In 2024, Activision also released a white paper that stated that, without knowing it, players actually preferred a stricter SBMM.

Since it is currently in the beta phase, this period is meant for experimentation and does not mean that Open Moshpit or similar modes will eventually be added to the official version of the game.But the launch of this game list is still worth watching, because it is the first time Activision has made any kind of concession to SBMM's critics.