Treyarch has confirmed that, after testing during the beta, skill-based matchmaking will no longer be the default for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
With pressure from Battlefield 6 being put on this year, scrutiny towards Call of Duty is at an all-time high as we head to Black Ops 7's release. Activision has been taking steps to counter what ex-Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra predicts will be a "boot stomp" from EA's shooter, such as introducing a free trial of Black Ops 6 alongside Battlefield's release. This pressure has also prompted Treyarch to hit the panic button and finally heed fan requests to remove skill-based matchmaking during the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta via a new playlist.
This mode received massive praise from the community, with pros saying "We need Battlefield 6 to come out every year," and CoD disliker and former FPS pro Shroud saying "It's actually kind of enjoyable." When SBMM was brought back to get more feedback, everyone hated it again.
Open Matchmaking confirmed.At launch, Open Matchmaking with minimal skill consideration will be the default matchmaking for #BlackOps7 MP.Our team is committed to providing players with a more varied experience, and the Beta was a valuable opportunity to test this approach.October 9, 2025
And yet despite ignoring pleas for years, Treyarch has finally done it. As announced on Twitter, the studio said, "At launch, Open Matchmaking with minimal skill consideration will be the default matchmaking for Black Ops 7," Adding that, "Our team is committed to providing players with a more varied experience, and the Beta was a valuable opportunity to test this approach."
Naturally, the responses to this tweet are filled with celebrations from players, streamers, and everyone else. And alongside this, Battlefield 6 is getting praise, with one user saying, "Who would’ve thought that Battlefield 6 might be the best thing that’s ever happened to CoD."
