Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been a frequent complaint from Call of Duty players in recent years, and with XDefiant here, players have been curious as to whether Ubisoft’s upcoming FPS will also have SBMM.
In recent years, SBMM has been a hot debate among FPS titles. Fans of Call of Duty to Apex Legends have shouted to the moon and back, blasting the matchmaking system’s strict philosophy of balancing matches while ditching the fun.
XDefiant is the latest shooter to hit the FPS, with Ubisoft ditching the tactical pace of Rainbow Six Siege for a hero-shooter FPS meant to rival Call of Duty. It’s been heralded as a “Call of Duty” killer by fans.
With such a big label to bear, one key question has been how matchmaking works in Ubisoft’s title, specifically if SBMM is present like the titles it’s competing against.
Is there SBMM in XDefiant?
There is no SBMM in XDefiant’s Casual playlists. Ubisoft reiterated this in a blog post leading up to the game’s launch, stating that XDefiant’s matchmaking will put a priority on “priority on fast connection times.”
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On the other hand, Ranked Play will employ SBMM, as it looks to put players in “matches within acceptable Rank range.” Unfortunately, Ranked Play is not a launch feature, but it will arrive in a future season.
The removal of SBMM from XDefiant is something that has been widely celebrated by Call of Duty players looking to try something different and start playing other games more, especially when paired with more traditional COD features such as map voting, an old-school minimap, and more.
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