Black Ops 7 Season 5 introduced the Classic matchmaking system, which is said to be “inspired by” Black Ops 1 and 2, but players claim it has ruined the game.
Matchmaking has been a major talking point in Call of Duty ever since Modern Warfare 2019, with players feeling it was too strict, removing match variety and punishing strong performances. After years of complaints, Black Ops 7 launched with Open matchmaking, where “skill is minimally considered.”
This was a success, with players loving how quickly they found lobbies, the improved connection, and the more varied opponents.
Then, Activision announced that in Season 5, Black Ops Classic mode, Quick Play, and Party games would have Classic matchmaking, with “smarter team balancing, wide match variety, improvements that help keep matches full, and a better experience for mixed-level parties.” However, it hasn’t gone down well with the community.
BO7 players say new matchmaking is a “nightmare”
Ever since it arrived, it’s been heavily criticised, with players saying it has reverted skill-based matchmaking back to how it was in MW19, spoiling the multiplayer experience. Reddit has been full of these complaints, with a recent post calling it “unbearable.”
“This new matchmaking is just as if not more strict than what we’ve been dealing with the last several years,” said user SlightFinger7096. “I put a lot of hours in BO7 and it’s just a nightmare to play now.”
“The connection prioritized, low skill consideration matchmaking was the best part of this game. It was advertised as a selling point of the game,” said another player. “They pulled the rug out from under us and destroyed the multiplayer.”
Popular YouTuber TheXclusiveAce weighed in, saying he “can’t believe how they turned my favorite modern CoD into such a terrible experience literally overnight.”
Some players believe this new Classic matchmaking will be the default in MW4, as the devs said they’ll “also include Open playlist options in the upcoming Modern Warfare 4 Beta.” This has tons of players worried, with some even saying they’ve canceled their pre-order.
Modern Warfare 4’s Early Access Beta kicks off on August 21, so we’ll get a better idea of how matchmaking will work then. Then, Black Ops 7 Season 5 Reloaded is expected in early September, so we may get more updates on matchmaking with the update.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
