Good matchmaking is critical to multiplayer-focused games like the Call of Duty franchise. That might seem like common sense, but we now have numbers to prove it. In a recent report, Activision revealed just how damaging a lack of skill-based matchmaking can be.
How does Call of Duty matchmaking affect players?
As reported by GameIndustry.biz, Activision performed an experiment with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III matchmaking earlier this year. The publisher included half of North American players in the test, which involved matching players with a broader range of skill levels. However, the impact was staggering, even with some skill-based matchmaking. 90% of players in the test group played less, and 80% were more likely to quit a match. The report argued that the result would have been even more extreme if Activision removed skill-based matchmaking entirely.
Notably, a minority of Call of Duty players played more with less skill-based matchmaking. Specifically, the test found that players in the top 10% of skill level were significantly more likely to return and less likely to quit a match. Other tests that involved tighter matchmaking saw reduced engagement from the highest-skill players.
However, the report notes that an unhappy 30% is still a major problem for Call of Duty, as it would eventually result in a significant loss of players. “Ultimately, this will result in a worse experience for all players, as there will be fewer and fewer players available to play with . . . If [skill-based matchmaking] were completely removed, we would expect to see the player population erode rapidly in the span of a few months, resulting in a negative outcome for all our players.”