Infinity Ward appears to be taking a careful approach to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s skill-based matchmaking after Black Ops 7. The developer told CharlieIntel that MW4’s skill-based matchmaking will “not revert directly back to pre-Black Ops 7” and that the team is evaluating data from last year’s title to inform its decisions.
Although Black Ops 7 was a divisive Call of Duty game and was a fall from grace commercially, there were some changes that fans hoped developers would retain. Some feared that the game’s poor reception may lead to everything being reverted, but that may not be the case. Treyarch listened to fans when it came to the franchise’s skill-based matchmaking, which has been notoriously punishing for years. Players have often felt that if they perform above average for a few matches, the game will put them into lobbies that are way above their skill level.
Not only that, but it wouldn’t matter if you found a lobby of people who were equal in skill. The game’s lobbies disbanded after every match. That approach made it hard to have a consistent and fun experience with Call of Duty. Black Ops 7 largely fixed this as lobbies were persistent, and skill had a minimal impact on matchmaking. Matches were more varied in terms of the players you’d get paired up with, which some felt was a much fairer and more reasonable approach to multiplayer.
It’s unclear exactly what Modern Warfare 4 will do, but it doesn’t seem like Infinity Ward is ignoring Treyarch’s efforts. Previously, players felt like Infinity Ward wasn’t as receptive to player feedback as it could be, but things may be shifting.
We got to go hands-on with Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer earlier this month and feel like it’s a notable improvement from previous games with the removal of weapon bloom, fluid movement, and tighter gunplay. Modern Warfare 4 has also been freed from the shackles of last-gen consoles, allowing Infinity Ward the freedom to make something more expansive.
“Modern Warfare 4 feels like a confident step forward for the series, not because it’s reinventing Call of Duty (it’s not), but because it stopped holding itself back,” reads an excerpt from our preview. “It’s still Call of Duty at its core, but it finally feels like a version that isn’t constantly fighting its own limitations. And that alone makes it one of the more interesting multiplayer entries the franchise has had in a while.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was properly revealed early on May 28, confirming that the game will center around a conflict between North and South Korea. Captain Price will return, though he will be at opposition with his allies from Task Force 141. As always, the game’s story will take players around the globe in an effort to restore peace. Infinity Ward is also bringing back DMZ, an extraction mode previously introduced in Modern Warfare II. Warzone will also return once again, but will no longer be playable on last-gen consoles this fall.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will release on October 23 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
