Top Twitch streamer Shroud just gave his take on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta Open Playlist, and it sounded like a complete reversal. The very man that is usually not much of a COD fan changed the entire context of the discussion by going from calling the whole experience “miserable” to “it’s actually, kinda, enjoyable” after some changes were made. When a name like Shroud talks, the people listen, and maybe Treyarch was listening.
So exactly what is this Open Playlist? It’s basically the area of the beta where they turn down the intensity on skill-based matchmaking or SBMM. For two days or so, it was pandemonium, with Shroud saying just how not fun it was. Then they messed with something and that guy gives big thumbs up. A huge turnaround from someone who does this for a living.
Online, the reactions have been free falling. Some in the replies were pretty quick to take jabs at the player, with one user, WolvesofZiu, saying vomically, “Poor shroud got clapped and whined until they changed it. Typical.” That’s some harsh stuff, yet it sort of also epitomizes the whole matchmaking debate in Call of Duty. There is a never-ending fight between the ones wanting every match to feel like a top-tier esports final and those who are just trying to hop on for some casual fun.
Another username, Bayleaf, came in with a great point: “The problem is that every game is a nail biter. Good MM is a healthy mix of stomp, stomped, close game.” And honestly, that was the point. No one wants to get completely wrecked in every match, but also, who wants every single game to be a nail-biting, heart-pounding struggle where you can’t relax for a second? It’s about balance, something Call of Duty has struggled with for years now.
And then that oldest fun fight always sneaks in: the debate of controllers versus mouse and keyboard. Amid some comments, the serious argument for and against aim assist on a controller raged onward, with Marcus going on to assert: “even Most PC Players Play CoD in Roller cos ITS easy and OP as shitt.” It just gave another layer to this whole mess. Another layer about how your input can vary your game feel; when you put that alongside matchmaking, the whole experience can get very strange for the entire player base.
Kori, probably speaking for the majority of casuals, chimed in: “For me, I mean, I’m terrible at this game, but at least the no-SBMM makes me feel like I can actually play the game for fun and not get punished for locking into the scrambles. Like I couldn’t care less if I win or lose; I just want some fun, bro, and the past few games have been so sweaty that it’s not fun.” This is a major issue in their player base. That never-before-so-hard mode, they’re just gonna shoot some dudes and chill.
And then, another perspective was shared through JoeGun: “The shrouds love it the average gamer hates it.” That’s another fair way to say it; things that would make the game’s very top-notch streamers happy might be the death of the average guy just trying to get some actual playtime after work. And that’s a tough spot for the developers, trying to please both hardcore and casual crowds.
There were some other complaints about tech issues. “Shittiest netcode ever, it was the same in BO6,” someone said. Another even made a post of a PS5 error. So it’s not just matchmaking. The beta has bugs and connectivity problems, too. Pretty common for a beta, but still a bummer for the players.
A smart suggestion came from Kiwiko: “the way I see it, there should be a protected bracket for those who won’t hit you if you move in front of them and a separate for pub stompers. Leave the bottom and top 10% amidst their own and we good.” So this protected bracket for absolute newbs and for uber super pros while letting the massive middle just run around together seems like it might be a good compromise. Why’s that so damn hard to pull off?
Also, the classic “Same COD every year” from AznSlickSlaya gets tossed in there; but yeah, we’ve all heard that one before. In contrast, the reaction to the matchmaking changes in the Black Ops 7 beta actually reveals how huge an impact even the smallest tweaks have on the perception of the whole game.
Now what does this all mean? That Shroud gave the Open Playlist a good update means Treyarch is actively making changes based upon feedback during the beta. That can only be a good thing. It shows that they’re listening. Having a player of that stature go from describing it as “miserable” to suddenly calling it “enjoyable” means that the developers must be very close in striking a much better balance between competitive integrity and just letting the game be fun for most. Whether or not that balance applies for the wider player base when the full game launches will be the bigger question. This is what the beta is supposed to confirm, judging by the massive online discussion, and it clearly shows how aggressively matchmaking is still one of the most debatable topics in all of Call of Duty.
The match-making argument might be an endless battle now, but at least it looks like they have taken some steps to slightly make one very famous gamer somewhat happy. Twitch and Xbox players are all part of this conversation.
