MW3's New Trailer Receives Warm Reception Amidst Persistent SBMM Controversies

The unveiling of the MW3 multiplayer trailer by Activision and Sledgehammer Games has elicited considerable applause, but not without reservations. The thorny issue of SBMM—skill-based matchmaking—still divides opinion among CoD's fiercely loyal player base.

Despite the enticing glimmers of the MW3 multiplayer trailer, which stirred players' interest in the necessity of obtaining and redeeming MW3 beta codes, the persistent and divisive issue of the SBMM system continues to weigh heavily on the community. It's been enough to reignite fervent discussions focused on desires for its complete removal, opposed by those who relish the challenge it introduces.

The ongoing debate about SBMM has gravitated to social media platforms, where fans are becoming increasingly vocal about their diverging stances. On Reddit, a user drew attention to a top comment posing a clear directive to Activision: “Remove SBMM.” This comment sparked a flurry of both agreement and contradiction, echoing the polarization around skill-based matchmaking.

An insightful comment was made by the user TheMink0921, who pragmatically asserted, "[SBMM] will never see removal," as the driver behind it is more "a business decision [and] not a gameplay one." In follow-up remarks, he championed for the return of "casual entertaining games" while suggesting the intense competition be limited to ranked/CDL games. His earnest request: “Revert CoD to its origins, away from predetermined algorithm-based games, please."

Regrettably, it seems unlikely that SBMM will be excised from MW3, being an inherent part of recent iterations of the game. The most reasonable expectation now rests on the developers making some modifications to the feature for wider acceptance. However, with no clear indications of plans for SBMM from Sledgehammer Games and Activision, it appears that such changes may not be imminent.