Warzone is nerfing SBMM in Season 1 but players aren’t convinced

Warzone is set to follow Black Ops 7’s lead by introducing Open Matchmaking in Season 1, where skill is “minimally considered” while putting together lobbies.

The Season 1 update on December 4 is when Warzone fully integrates with BO7, and all of the new guns from multiplayer make their way over to battle royale. But in a Dev Talk on November 26, Raven Software confirmed that another feature is making the jump across.

Open Matchmaking was first added to BO7 back in the beta and carried over to the full launch, meaning that skill was only a minimal factor when searching for a game. This came after years of complaints that SBMM was ruining the experience for high-skill players and creating unfair lobbies.

Now, Warzone is following suit, with the idea being that you’ll find a wider range of abilities in each game, rather than being matched against players of a similar skill level.

Call of Duty: #Warzone Dev Talk

We've seen a bunch of questions pop up since the launch of #BlackOps7 and Pete is here to answer some of them as we draw closer to Season 01.

Our team is super excited for everyone to drop in on December 4th. Here's to an awesome year ahead! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/VE1uVUyDUZ

— Raven Software (@RavenSoftware) November 26, 2025

Warzone players not convinced by Open Matchmaking

However, while many players have praised the decision to bring Open Matchmaking to Warzone, others are more skeptical.

Since Black Ops 7 launched, many fans and even big-name streamers have felt that the system isn’t working as advertised. Although less punishing than before, some have still reported being placed into tougher lobbies, especially after a string of good performances.

This has led some players to question whether or not skill is more important in the full game than in the beta, given that the devs’ description of “minimally considered” leaves plenty of wiggle room. So, following the news that Open Matchmaking was coming to Warzone, some players weren’t convinced.

“Yeah. So basically nothing different LOL,” wrote one fan on X, while another added: “LMAO if it’s anything like BO7 MP, then it’s essentially the same s**t we’re playing now.”

“This is a joke, this whole minimally considered thing is a LIE,” said a third.

We’ll have to wait for Warzone Season 1 to go live on December 4 to see exactly how matchmaking has changed, the same update that also brings the new Haven’s Hollow Resurgence map.