If you were enjoying the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta and now you're not, there's a good reason for that: the matchmaking has changed again. The Search and Destroy mode is no longer open, but now skills-based, to allow for more testing and data collection.
As is routine for a new Call of Duty, the public beta for Black Ops 7 has yielded mixed feedback. Some players love it, just as they do practically every other installment of the FPS, while others have been frustrated by what they’ve played.
Esports legend Shroud was in the latter camp until there was a change from skills-based matchmaking to an open selection process, which he praised for being more enjoyable. Sadly, things have reverted, as Treyarch has reintroduced SBMM Search and Destroy into the beta playlist, causing some consternation.
We're trying to...- Give players what they want as much as we can- Limit how many playlists we have active to focus population and data- Get solid testing, data, and feedback on matchmakinghttps://t.co/vem3U3NwvCOctober 6, 2025
In response to fan outcry on Twitter, Matt Scronce, design director on Black Ops 7, revealed it's to gather more information on the people who’re playing. "We're trying to: Give players what they want as much as we can; Limit how many playlists we have active to focus population and data; Get solid testing, data, and feedback on matchmaking," he says.
As much as this move might irritate members of the community, all the above is a large part of why public betas are important. Treyarch wants to know what modes and methods work for players, what ones don't, and why. A new Call of Duty is always one of the biggest releases of the year - you can never have enough research for such a thing.
That said, though, the people really have spoken on this one. It might be time to put SBMM Search and Destroy on the shelf.
