Call of Duty is about to run its most direct matchmaking experiment yet. The upcoming Modern Warfare 4 beta will include both the divisive new matchmaking system and the open matchmaking introduced last year, the Call of Duty team confirmed, according to IGN.
That dual-system approach is deliberate. Rather than committing to a single system ahead of the October launch, Infinity Ward plans to let the beta continue evaluating player data before deciding which matchmaking the final game will ship with.
Two Systems, One Beta
The newer system, introduced in Black Ops 7 Season 5, is inspired by the original two Black Ops games and has raised questions among players. It arrives alongside the open matchmaking from Black Ops 7’s launch, which is seen as more random and leads to more varied, dynamic matches.
That open system was Call of Duty’s response to long-running complaints about aggressive skill-based matchmaking, which some felt unfairly punished skilled players. Putting both side by side in a single beta gives the studio a clean, large-scale comparison before the full release.
The Data Call of Duty Is Pointing To
According to Call of Duty, internal data shows players are quitting fewer matches under the new system. For 80% of Black Ops 7 players from launch to Season 4, open matchmaking saw 32.7% higher quit rates, 14.4% fewer kills per minute, 5.3% lower win rates, and 59.2% more “Not Fun” ratings compared to standard matchmaking.
There is a notable caveat: some top players faced tougher competition under the new system but still quit less often. Call of Duty noted in July that the new system builds on what the studio has “learned, with smarter team balancing, wide match variety, improvements that help keep matches full, and a better experience for mixed-level parties.”
What the Beta Will Settle
Despite the data, there is no firm commitment on which system the full game will use in October. The beta will also include quality-of-life improvements addressing long-standing series issues, giving players a look at more than just matchmaking.
It’s also possible the beta’s larger player base could shift the data. Modern Warfare is considered the more popular subfranchise and may attract new players whose behavior differs from the Black Ops 7 audience the current numbers are drawn from.
