COD: Black Ops 7 to have no SBMM and non-disbanding lobbies

[Jimekalmiya]

The day we have been waiting for since 2019 has finally happened. Just before the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta concluded, Treyarch hit the community with a bombshell, announcing that the launch of the game will feature no SBMM and persistent lobbies in multiplayer. This has been a long time coming for the fan base, and whether it was due to low pre-order numbers or pressure from Battlefield 6, COD players have something to celebrate today.

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The developers stated that the new "Open Matchmaking" that was introduced during the beta, which matches players based on connection and not skill, will be the default across multiplayer starting on Nov. 14. This means any playlist you hop into, whether it be Hardpoint or Team Deathmatch or Search and Destroy, will feature no skill-based matchmaking.

On top of that, as if that news wasn't enough, Treyarch revealed that disbanding lobbies will be removed at launch as well. Since Modern Warfare 2019, which is also when SBMM was cranked to the levels we know today, lobbies in multiplayer disband after every match. This aids SBMM, as the matchmaking system needs to find you a new lobby based on your previous match performance.

However, in Black Ops 7, it will be just like the golden era of COD, where you stay in the same lobby match after match. This allows you to build connections in your current lobby, be it a good or bad connection, and keep playing in "dream lobbies," as they were formerly known.

Black Ops 7 was leaning in this direction ever since Treyarch and Activision saw the response to the Open Matchmaking playlists during the beta. It would have been an asinine move to remove that type of matchmaking after it received such a positive reception throughout the beta. Still, many players didn't think Activision would go so far as to make Open Matchmaking the default option across all of multiplayer in Black Ops 7.

That's the result of this six-year-long battle, though. SBMM has finally been removed from COD in Black Ops 7, and, to add a cherry on top, disbanding lobbies are gone as well. This should add a new level of excitement to the launch of Black Ops 7 on Nov. 14, as both the default Open Matchmaking and non-disbanding lobbies will be available right as the game releases.