Respawn to update Apex Legends’ skill-based matchmaking system
Respawn Entertainment Technical Director Samy Duc has revealed that the team is working on improving Apex Legends’ skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) system. Duc said the update would be online within several months.
Most multiplayer games use SBMM to pair up players in matches. Like other battle royale games, Apex Legends has a problem matching players due to the number of teams in a session. The system has to ensure that 20 teams in every match are around the same skill level.
Apex Legends’ SBMM system has been a constant topic of criticism in the community. Many players complain that the system is broken, saying they’re often matched with people who are either above or under their skill level.
After hearing countless complaints, Respawn decided to address some of these issues. Duc revealed the news while responding to a tweet from Apex professional player Snip3down.
“For the first time in a while Apex put me in such a bad mood today. Constant cheaters who I’ve been matching for days, pubs with 3 teams five minutes in, ranked games either 6 teams zone one or third partied instantly, or pubs with my wife against pred players. Good stuff,” Snip3down said.
Professional player C9 Zach replied to the tweet, saying enjoying the game relies on good teammates. Snip3down agreed but said he couldn’t play with his wife, Yasmin Schancer Wrona, due to an issue with the system.
Duc replied to Snip3down, announcing the upcoming SBMM update. He said the current system is based on the highest player in the group. He added that the update should be live in mid-December or the new year.
“We will communicate more in the new year about this, but I hope it will allow to work for you and wife,” Duc said.
The player commended Duc for his transparency. He said he had believed that the system used the average skill in the group. Duc replied that using averages was not good enough.
“People contribution depends on the skill distribution. Easiest solution is just to take max because you can assume, highest skill player has the most impact. We acknowledge those issues and are working on it,” Duc added.
iiTzTimmy discusses current state of Apex Legends
Professional player Timothy “iiTzTimmy” An recently started a massive discussion on Twitter regarding the current state of Apex Legends. Players have been complaining about the game, saying that the developer needs to fix many issues to retain its players.
According to Steam data, the average number of Apex Legends players has mostly stayed the same, from 172,000 in October to 170,000 in November. However, considering Apex Legends Season 15 launched recently, there should have been a spike in average users.
iiTzTimmy asked his followers if Apex Legends was dying, with the tweet garnering over 14,000 likes and replies. Fellow professional player Jack “NiceWigg” Martin said the game was in an “extreme rough patch” and needed to be fixed soon. Others insisted that the current situation was normal for a live-service game.
“Why are so many apex creators gassing up the lull in viewership. Only fanning the flame of expected ebbs and flows in the games lifespan. Can’t expect ppl to play the same game nonstop. They leave they come back,” one fan said.
