Battlefield 6 lead says "skill is a factor" in matchmaking, "but far down the list," so please lower your pitchforks and torches

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SBMM is here, but it's really not that bad

Battlefield 6 multiplayer screenshot
(Image credit: EA)

For some reason, a lot of gamers hate skill-based matchmaking. I love to own noobs as much as the next guy, but when you're the noob being owned all the time, any game quickly stops being fun, so I understand why SBMM is implemented. Battlefield 6 lead producer David Sirland explains how and why it's used in the new FPS game.

Before we get into things and you start typing an expletive-filled email to EA, I should inform you that skill is "far down the list" of things that actually factor in to how matchmaking is determined in Battlefield 6.

"Skill is a factor, but far down the list, and all our large modes need a spread of skill to work well," Sirland tweets. "The sandbox needs many different types of skill to function well, and that's also why the matchmaker teambalances to make the teams even as part of that process."

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It makes sense that you wouldn't want a lobby full of pros or complete beginners, but a nice mix. The newbies can learn from the old-heads, and the more highly skilled players can enjoy a few moments where they get a triple-kill. Perfectly balanced.

If you're still unhappy with this being implemented in the beta, I have bad news. "Open beta used all matchmaking priorities we expect for launch," Sirland writes. "And they are the same as they have been in previous titles. We prioritize ping, and time to game ahead of most things."

A low ping means there will be as little lag as possible when you play, so it makes sense that's the highest priority on the list. Still, skill is at least a little bit important, even if no one wants to admit it.

I, personally, was dying a lot over the weekend, but that might be down to the quick time-to-kill, which is currently being investigated by the devs – it definitely can't just be that I'm worse at the game than I was when I was a teenager.

In the meantime, check out the best FPS games you can play while you wait for the beta to open up again this weekend.

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Issy van der Velde
Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

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