Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is dumping SBMM (skill-based matchmaking) as we've known it for the past few years. SBMM has been a highly controversial topic in the Call of Duty community, as it means players are constantly matched against people of a similar skill level, which in turn leads to nonstop, highly competitive matches — not necessarily the experience one is looking for unless they are playing ranked. It was assumed long ago that SBMM would be a big part of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, as data has shown that it is effective at retaining more casual players. Despite many vocal Call of Duty fans online voicing their displeasure with SBMM, it has remained a fixture of the franchise in recent years.
But with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Activision seems to be trying to listen to the community more. Activision has been rallying hard against Call of Duty cheaters in the Black Ops 7 beta, and it has pulled back on brand crossovers that don't really fit with the franchise's tone. Combined with its decision on SBMM, it really does seem like Activision is seriously applying community feedback to the Black Ops 7 experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s Open Beta SBMM Shake-Up Feels Desperate, But I Don’t Care
The debate over Skill-Based Matchmaking in Call of Duty has raged for years, but Black Ops 7 seems capable of finally putting the argument to bed.
Black Ops 7 Multiplayer Will Have Minimal Skill Consideration
During the Black Ops 7 beta, Activision experimented with an Open Moshpit playlist that essentially offered an experience without the strict SBMM that the series has been saddled with. This Open Matchmaking approach will be the default for Black Ops 7 multiplayer when the game launches on November 14. Effectively, this means that Black Ops 7 is releasing without the overbearing SBMM that has plagued multiplayer for many fans. It will definitely be interesting to see what kind of impact this has on the Call of Duty community and the Black Ops 7 player count long-term.
Black Ops 7 will also be bringing back persistent lobbies. Persistent lobbies were once a mainstay of the franchise, but they were largely abandoned with the release of 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Fans have been calling for persistent lobbies to make a comeback, and they finally will with Black Ops 7.
It seems that Black Ops 7 beta feedback is directly improving the game and will result in a better experience come launch. Now that the beta is wrapping up, Call of Duty fans can mark their calendars for November 14 and start counting down the days to when they will be able to enjoy Black Ops 7's 4-player co-op campaign, multiplayer, and round-based Zombies.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
