Modern Warfare 4 director says perfect matchmaking is impossible
Infinity Ward’s Joe Cecot says the goal is a good match for every player, but offers no promise of a perfect matchmaking system.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s multiplayer creative director says there may be no perfect answer to the series’ long-running matchmaking argument, as players question why the new game appears to launch without the open matchmaking option seen in Black Ops 7.
Joe Cecot, Infinity Ward’s multiplayer creative director, told IGN that the studio’s priority is putting together matches that feel good rather than promising a flawless system. “I don’t know if there’s perfecting it,” Cecot said, adding that the team studies how matchmaking affects different groups of players and tries to measure when the experience turns negative. 1
The comments arrive after Modern Warfare 4 launched with skill-based matchmaking at the centre of the multiplayer discussion. IGN reports that Black Ops 7 offered open matchmaking playlists alongside its skill-based default, giving players a way to enter matches without the same emphasis on balancing players by ability. The newer game’s apparent lack of a clearly labelled equivalent has renewed the debate among the community. 1
Why matchmaking is difficult
Skill-based matchmaking, usually shortened to SBMM, attempts to pair players with opponents of a similar level. In theory, that should produce closer games and reduce the chance of experienced players overwhelming newcomers. In practice, the system has to balance skill against connection quality, queue times, region and the experience of players who improve rapidly from one match to the next.
That trade-off is the heart of Cecot’s answer. A system that prioritises ability may create more competitive games, but it can also take longer to find a lobby or widen the search if there are not enough similarly skilled players nearby. A looser system can make queues faster and produce more unpredictable matches, while also increasing the chance of one-sided games.
Kotaku reports that Modern Warfare 4 appears to rely on algorithmically selected skill-based matches despite alternative matchmaking options being available during the beta. It also notes that the game includes a persistent lobby option in its popular modes, although the interface does not clearly explain whether that represents an open matchmaking queue. 2
What the director actually promised
Cecot did not announce a new playlist or confirm that an open matchmaking option is coming. His comments instead describe the criteria Infinity Ward says it uses: looking at player data, measuring negative effects on particular groups and aiming for every match to be a good one. That leaves the practical question unanswered for players who want more control over how opponents are selected.
The distinction matters because “good match” can mean different things. A close scoreline may be welcome to one player but frustrating to another if it comes with a poor connection or a long wait. Equally, a chaotic lobby may be fun for someone looking for variety and miserable for somebody trying to learn a new weapon or mode.
Our opinion
Cecot’s answer is candid, but it is not especially satisfying. Matchmaking is a genuinely difficult optimisation problem, yet players are still entitled to clearer information about the choices being made on their behalf. If Modern Warfare 4 has an open or less restrictive queue, the game should label it plainly. If it does not, Infinity Ward should explain why the option from Black Ops 7 was dropped and what trade-off the studio believes is worth making.
For now, the useful takeaway is narrower than the headline: Infinity Ward is defending match quality as a goal, not claiming that it has solved matchmaking. The debate will continue until the game provides clearer settings, stronger evidence about how its queues work or a meaningful alternative for players who do not want every match shaped by the same hidden formula.