FromSoftware plans to have some kind of skill-based matchmaking in The Duskbloods to avoid a situation where Soulslike veterans routinely make newcomers miserable, but eventually, director Hidetaka Miyazaki also wants to give old-timers and newbies a reason to work together.
Asked about a system that would separate pros and fresh-faced newcomers in the upcoming PvPvE game, Miyazaki told IGN that "we definitely plan on having the matchmaking system work in a way so that it's ranked, and players who are really good tend to be matched with other players who are great, and players who are new tend to be matched with other new players."
The matchmaking system is being implemented in an effort to ease in people who might pick up and buy the Switch 2 exclusive months down the line. Jumping into an online game and immediately getting swamped by high-skilled, jetpack-wearing divers who have months of experience isn't the most welcoming experience, I imagine.
But Miyazaki notes that winning matches or surviving until you're in the final PvP showdown isn't the only way to progress and enjoy The Duskbloods: "There are things that you can unlock through just gameplay like story content and customization for your character which should allow you to enjoy it outside of the actual combat."
Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) has been quite a hot topic, especially with recent first-person shooters. For instance, some Call of Duty players might complain that super high ranks and super low ranks struggle with poor connection times if SBMM works too strictly - others might even complain that high-skill players are punished with tougher matches for being good, an argument I've never subscribed to - but in a game like The Duskbloods, I imagine being on an even playing field only leads to higher quality matches. Activision once secretly turned off SBMM, and turns out, everyone hated it.
Interestingly, at some point, Miyazaki also wants to give players on both sides of the spectrum a reason to play together. "This might not be something that comes out initially and may come a bit later on, but we're definitely considering ways to build a relationship between veteran players and new players – something that's positive and not always scary or something they'd want to avoid," he tells the outlet. "For example, things like event customization, having certain in-match events be very rare or have higher chances of appearing if you're in a game with someone who has been playing for a really long time. Or having the Alliance system done in a way where you can specifically say that you want to be paired with someone who's really good and has a high rank. And the player who's high-rank can maybe have their settings prioritize pairing with newcomers if they want to help them out, very similar to leaving signs in front of a boss in our other games."
