Battlefield 2042 Insider Reveals How SBMM Works and How It's Better Than COD SBMM

According to a prominent Battlefield insider, Battlefield 2042 has skill-based matchmaking -- also known as SBMM -- but it's not implemented how it is in Call of Duty, Fortnite, and many other competitive multiplayer games. SBMM has been one of the biggest and most controversial talking points in games the last few years. A vast majority of gamers aren't a fan of it, yet it's in most games, including Battlefield 2042.

For those that don't know: SBMM is a matchmaking system that puts players of similar skill against each other, or at least that's how it's often implemented. There are other ways to achieve balanced matches without filling lobbies of evenly matched players. For example, there are forms of the matchmaking system that mix and match players of all different skills in an even spread. In other words, rather than make sure every player is the same skill, you can ensure competition and balance by simply ensuring the teams are balanced with the same amount of skill and lack thereof.

For now, it remains to be seen how Battlefield 2042 will tackle all of this, but according to prominent Battlefield insider Tom Henderson, there's SBMM in the game, but it's server-based. What does this mean? Well, according to Henderson, it means, "the majority of the SBMM happens when you've found the server, it doesn't kick in beforehand." In other words, "it's not like COD."

I worded this a bit confusingly "And yes, there is SBMM in #BATTLEFIELD2042 - It's just PRIMARILY sever based."

The majority of the "SBMM" happens when you've found the server, it doesn't kick in beforehand - So it's not like COD.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 15, 2021

If this sounds familiar, it's because it's what Battlefield has been doing for years. In other words, there's no change here. But again, all of this is information of the unofficial variety, so take it with a grain of salt. For all we know, DICE and EA have very different plans.

At the moment of publishing, EA and DICE have commented on any of this or said a word about how SBMM will work in the game. In fact, we don't even know if it's implemented at all.

Battlefield 2042 is set to release worldwide on October 22, 2021 via the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. For more coverage on the upcoming first-person shooter, click right here.