DICE clarified the matchmaking system in Battlefield. No need to panic

In the new Battlefield, which has not yet received an official title, playtesters noticed mentions of the SBMM (skill-based matchmaking) system. This caused concern among players, and producer David Sirland stepped forward with an explanation.

According to him, SBMM was used before as well — for example, in Battlefield 2042. But ping and matchmaking speed remain the key parameters when finding matches. Player skill is taken into account, but has a weak impact on server distribution. The main priority — quickly assembling a 64-player match, rather than building a perfect skill balance.

Sirland emphasized that this is not a strict system like in other shooters. DICE does not want to strictly divide players by experience, because Battlefield works best in conditions of chaos and variety. Skill is only needed so that teams are more or less balanced, especially with random matchmaking.

SBMM is not a new technology; it has always been part of online matches. Rumor has it that the project will bring back class specializations from Battlefield 4.

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Cover author: DICE. Cover source: mp1st