Activision has revealed exactly how Call of Duty matchmaking works, putting fan theories to rest

In the world of online gaming, one crucial aspect that can make or break the player’s experience is matchmaking. Activision, the powerhouse behind the Call of Duty franchise, has recently pulled back the curtain on the intricate mechanics that drive its matchmaking system, with promises of more details being released in the future for the entire industry to study.

As it turns out, Ping (the measure of the measure of the time it takes for data to travel between a player’s device and the game server) reigns supreme in Call of Duty’s matchmaking hierarchy. High ping can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, such as lag, teleportation-like movements of other players, or shots that seem to miss despite being accurate. Activision’s white paper highlights “delta ping” as a pivotal metric, representing the variance between a player’s ideal data center and the one they end up playing on.

While it may seem intuitive to prioritize matching players solely with their optimal data centers, Activision faces the challenge of balancing this with shorter wait times, particularly during off-peak hours or in less populated regions. As such, the matchmaking algorithm adopts a nuanced approach, weighing factors beyond ping, including skill-based matchmaking, platform, and input devices.

One innovative feature employed by Call of Duty is the concept of “backoff.” This mechanism adjusts the matchmaking criteria based on the time a player spends in the queue. As the wait time increases, the system becomes more flexible, gradually expanding the acceptable delta ping threshold. However, there’s a limit beyond which the system won’t compromise, ensuring a balance between latency and matchmaking efficiency. Notably, this threshold varies depending on the region’s player density, with stricter limits in densely populated areas like North America.

Activision’s data reveals a striking success rate, with an overwhelming 95% of players matched within a mere 20 milliseconds of their ideal data server. While outliers exist, typically stemming from players queuing during off-peak hours, the overall efficacy of the system remains decently effective to maintain as such.

The detailed insights provided in the complete document released by the company offer a glimpse into the intricate workings of Call of Duty’s matchmaking engine. And this is only the first in a line of revelations that they have promised to reveal.