Call of Duty's SBMM Explainer Gets Community Noted Into Oblivion Right Before the Modern Warfare 4 Beta

Yesterday was a genuinely weird day for the Call of Duty franchise on X. The official Call of Duty account and the newer Call of Duty CM community account both decided to give an in-depth explanation and update on the feedback they have gotten about SBMM and how it is going to work heading into the Black Ops 7 and Modern Warfare 4 beta. It did not go over well. Almost every post in that thread ended up getting community noted, and it happened right before the Modern Warfare 4 beta and COD Next.

Modern Warzone reported that Call of Duty issued a new statement on matchmaking in Modern Warfare 4 following what was described as massive negative feedback from the community, with Call of Duty's own line being that "matchmaking isn't just data, it's a feeling." As I said on this, we know that is what they have been saying since Modern Warfare 2019. Screen Time also posted that Modern Warfare 4's beta uses the same matchmaking system as Black Ops 7, and noted some fans say it made matches too hard and increased search times, while Call of Duty devs have defended the system. It got big enough that outlets were writing articles about it.

Creators piled on too. One post read, "Almost every tweet from the Modern Warfare 4 matchmaking thread is getting community noted. Beautiful start to the COD next and beta weekend up ahead. Can't we just have nice things?" Another pointed to multiple threads where all Call of Duty really had to say was that matchmaking is determined by ping. And a third post read, "Can't remember the last time official Call of Duty account was tweeting at 1:00 a.m. The community notes hit different."

What Call of Duty actually claimed about matchmaking data in Black Ops 7

The thread itself opened with Call of Duty saying there were still open questions about matchmaking and confusion about what had been shared, so they had gathered more details to shed light on where things stand going into the Modern Warfare beta. The short version they gave: the initial batch of data is showing strong improvements with the new system. That very first post got community noted, referencing an Activision SBMM paper based on an AB test and claiming Modern Warfare 3 players saw reduced SBMM hurt retention.

The thread continued that players are sticking around longer and playing more matches since season 5, that quit rates are down across every skill group, and that for more than half the players quit rates dropped 41 percent. Search times were said to be down versus season 4, with average ping improved too, though time of day, location, and connection still impact it. That post also got a community note, citing community feedback including videos, matchmaking benchmarks, and graphs claiming significantly increased search times, with search not being comparable to Black Ops 1 and 2, referencing an in-depth testing video from Exclusive Ace.

The Nuketown 24/7 data point becomes a flashpoint for backlash

The third and fourth posts in the thread said some players like open matchmaking, but the issues were clear. For 80 percent of players in Black Ops 7 from launch to season 4, open versus standard saw 32 percent higher quit rates, 14 percent fewer kills per minute, 5 percent lower win rates, and 59 percent more not fun ratings on Nuketown 24/7. Quit rates on that mode jumped 141 percent, and the most competitive players were said to be leaving one in every three matches.

Call of Duty also addressed disbanding lobbies, saying about 50 percent of players leave after the first match, and by game three almost none of the original lobby remains, so backfilling takes longer and starting fresh gets players into a match faster while letting them better prioritize ping. That claim got community noted too, with the note saying the 50 percent statistic is misleading due to in-game reasons, two of which are actual limitations of the game, such as blocked ability while in lobby, prestige weapon, prestige player, changing the game mode playlist, or disliking the map. The whole Nuketown 24/7 reference caught fire because people were asking why that mode's data was being used to talk about people quitting the game.

SBMM isn't going anywhere, and Black Ops 7's player base may be too small to prove the point

Everybody is allowed to have an opinion on this one way or another, and there is a lot of thought out there that this is just how Call of Duty puts a certain perception out there. I am not here to argue whether SBMM works or whether it should be in the game. As I've said for a long time, SBMM is in the game and I don't see it coming out, regardless of these open matchmaking tests or people calling it a rug pull. What I will say is that posting all of this the way they did was not the best approach right before the Modern Warfare 4 beta.

There's also the issue of where this data actually comes from. Call of Duty is using Black Ops 7 numbers, but from what I have gathered, Black Ops 7's player base is pretty low and pretty niche right now, and we are at the end of that game's cycle. The people still playing it are probably the true sweats that are left, so it is not a huge pool to gather this kind of data from.

The Call of Duty CM account makes things worse with meme replies to real complaints

This is where the Call of Duty CM account comes in. It is supposed to be an account connected to the community, giving people a more direct voice with Call of Duty. One fan quote tweeted the Nuketown stat, joking that using it as a data reference was an especially strange move and asking whether Call of Duty would start pulling stats from Shipment 24/7 next. That was not a rage tweet, it was an aggressive but reasonable take from a fan of the game who was frustrated. The Call of Duty CM account replied with a meme telling people not to use or track data for some of the most popular playlists of all time, and that was just one of many meme replies.

I looked through the threads and saw people genuinely voicing frustration in the right way, giving feedback without crossing into abuse, and the Call of Duty CM account kept firing back with snarky, quick witted replies instead. Charlie Intel asked why the account didn't just explain why the data is relevant to the broader picture and how it truly informs decisions compared to quickplay data, instead of doing quick witted replies that make the perception worse. Ketchup then wrote, "The Call of Duty CM account seems like the worst comms idea, Activision is done," as people piled on further.

I get what they might be going for. I referenced how a well known fast food account ran a similar strategy a couple years ago, roasting people and hitting one banger after another because whoever ran it recognized the right time to do it. The Call of Duty CM account is trying for that same edgy, witty tone, but it is not landing because it is not reading the room. There is a big portion of people on X frustrated about the SBMM post, and instead of connecting with them, this account is coming across as trying to be funny and trolly at the wrong moment. Friend to friend, whoever is running that account needs to change the approach, because I think a Call of Duty community account is a great idea in theory, but it can't be personal and it can't be looking for angles to be edgy when it isn't hitting. This is not the time for it, and it's just adding fuel to the fire.

So let me know what you guys think. It was a weird day. I want to keep the discussion constructive, and at the end of the day, it's a video game. But I also know there are a lot of passionate people who care about this franchise and want it to be the best it can be.