Scump calls Modern Warfare 3’s SBMM the “worst” in CoD history

Modern Warfare 3’s skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) system has been a hot topic since launch, and now the King himself, Scump, has chimed in, labeling it the “worst” in franchise history.

Another year means another new CoD title which in turn, inevitably leads to another debate on SBMM. The contentious subject often divides the community as some don’t mind its place under the hood while others simply can’t stand it.

On paper, the matchmaking system is designed with benevolence in mind. It intends to match you up against players of a similar skill, thereby stopping you from joining in against less-skilled enemies and wiping the floor with them, and vice versa.

In practice, however, many have argued over the years it can be too restrictive, forcing you into sweaty lobbies with no time to breathe. That’s been the case once again here in 2023 with Modern Warfare 3 now in focus, though it’s arguably more prevalent than ever.

Plenty have already lashed out in opposition of SBMM in the new release, and now, Scump has joined the mix too, arguing it’s worse than ever.

Breaking down their first few days in the new cycle, Scump gave his initial thoughts on MW3 during the latest OpTic Podcast. While the now-retired CoD legend is eager to see how competitive play evolves this coming season, not everything he said was all too positive.

One area in particular, could do with some fine-tuning, according to the King. That area being SBMM. “It’s my opinion, but I think skill-based -matchmaking] this year is super cranked,” he said.

“I don’t know if that’s because the player base is going down, but dude… Skill-based this year feels way worse than any other year.”

Agreeing with his former teammate in Nade, Scump sympathized with a recent outburst, admitting it’s challenging to keep a smile on stream when every lobby is having him square off with the scene’s ‘sweatiest’ players.

“People come in and they’re like, ‘Why are you bitching? You’re a pro player, you should be able to kill anybody.’ Dude, I’m using a Sidewinder going for camos, getting slide canceled by MCWs and Rival 9’s the whole game.”

“It is crazy right now. It’s been pretty frustrating going for camos and having to deal with it.”

Scump discusses MW3’s SBMM from the 41:40 mark below.

In the early outings, SBMM has certainly been a hot topic. Though there’s a chance, like in previous years, things may cool off in the coming weeks, as Scump explained.

“Cold War’s [SBMM] was bad off the rip, but towards the middle of the game’s lifespan, when the sweats went to Warzone…” things improved on the multiplayer side, he argued.

With Modern Warfare 3’s integration with Warzone just around the corner in the highly-anticipated Season 1 update, perhaps history might repeat itself here.