Vikki Blake
Guest
Whether this is good or bad news depends a little on your perspective, but it looks like Battlefield 6 will include skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) to a degree.
EA reportedly confirmed to CharlieIntel at a Battlefield 6 press event that the shooter's matchmaking will focus on: ping, player's location, server availability, and "some" skill factor, and vary depending upon which mode you're playing.
I doubt much of that will surprise many of us — we're all use to using the closest servers to us geographically, for instance, or having to switch regions when there's high demand — but it's that latter bit about "skill factor" that's raised some eyebrows. And concerns.
SBMM has been a hot topic across a number of FPS communities for some time now, including Call of Duty and Apex Legends. For some, ranking similarly-skilled players in competitive groups ruins the experience and negates the random nature of unranked play, while others believes it helps level the competitive multiplayer playing field, especially for new players. In fact, Call of Duty players were so vexed about SBMM that earlier this year, some decided to submit requests to publisher Activision to ascertain once and for all what their unofficial ranks were.
Before you begin your strongly-worded email to EA's customer support, however, note skill is just one of the factors listed here that pertain to matchmaking, and it's unclear right now just how big a proponent it will be. However, with a new "server browser solution" on the way, players will be keen to see how it all plays out… literally, in this case.
"FYI For COD Fans," pointed out one respondent. "These exact parameters have always existed in Battlefield and this is NOT SBMM akin to Call of Duty. Nothing like it at all. This is simply how the game balances teams, players from all skill brackets will be in one lobby."
"Entire COD Community has PTSD from the last decade of releases hahaha," joked another.
We recently got a look at the shooter's upcoming battle royale mode which, according to previous leaks, is set in California, with insertion via CH-47 Chinook. The destructive ring is apparently made out of a compound called "NXC.” Despite the rumors, however, Battlefield 6 won't be $80.
"Battlefield 6 casts its eyes back to the series' best years, mixing what we loved from the likes of Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 4, but is this resurrection of past glories actually exciting?" we asked in IGN's Battlefield 6 preview.
"From resurrecting its core class structure of Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon, to whether or not Battlefield's staple game modes like 64-player Conquest are still just as fun as before." Read on for more on why we think BF6 feels like a "safe, yet explosive return to the shooter's past."
First announced way back in 2021, Battlefield 6 is out on October 10 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S (although EA currently has no plans to bring Battlefield 6 to Nintendo Switch 2, unfortunately). Unlike Battlefield 2042's lukewarm reception, fans seem pretty pleased with what they've seen so far, and for quite some time, EA wasn't even trying to take leaked assets down.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.