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Destructoid
Destructoid
Entertainment
Scott Duwe

I thought I was finally free from Call of Duty’s SBMM discussion. But in spite of a packed season 1 for Black Ops 7, it’s still all some players want to talk about

I thought it was finally over. I believed I would never have to discuss it again. But here we are, in 2025, once again having skill-based matchmaking discussions in Call of Duty.

Black Ops 7 was supposed to be the year it was all put to rest. Activision and Treyarch deployed the new Open Matchmaking playlists where skill is "minimally considered," finally acquiescing to player complaints. It has its ups and downs, but I think it mostly feels good and different from what we've had. But here we are again.

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