Dr Disrespect Investigates Black Ops Cold War SBMM on Stream
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has entered into its Beta phase of testing, with PlayStation users who have pre-ordered the game getting a first crack at it this weekend. With the game closer to release, players are getting a look at a couple of new maps and game modes in the Black Ops Cold War Beta. While many think the game looks good, popular streamer Dr Disrespect has joined the growing list of folks not happy with its skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) system.
One of the main sticking points for a number of big names in the Call of Duty community has been the SBMM system found in its multiplayer modes. The system pits players of similar skill level together in a lobby, which in theory sounds good, but many wish it would be limited to ranked play. The possibility of Ranked Play coming to Black Ops Cold War has been floated by Treyarch lead designer David Vonderhaar, which would allow for a casual mode to exist that would incorporate players of all skill levels.
While fan discontent has led to SBMM trending on Twitter this weekend, Dr Disrespect took to his stream on Friday to protest the system by reverse boosting at the start of his session in Black Ops Cold War. Reverse boosting is an exploit to game a skill-based matchmaking system by intentionally dying in a match, that way a player will be paired with lower-skill lobbies in future matches.
Using his stream to highlight how the practice works, Dr Disrespect started his Black Ops Cold War session by acting as target practice for his competition, with many fans wondering why the self-proclaimed "Two-Time Champion" wasn't playing up to his normal standard. He explained that he was tanking on purpose to game the SBMM system.
The Doc attracts a fair share of attention with his in-character antics, but this was one case where the popular streamer was using his platform to protest a system that has seen many complaints online. While the jury is still out on why Dr Disrespect was banned from Twitch earlier this year, intentionally reverse boosting in Black Ops Cold War to show how broken SBMM probably shouldn't lead to any more problems.
All of this pressure applied by streamers and Call of Duty pros might be having an effect on the game, as patch notes for the Black Ops Cold War Beta address almost all issues players had with the Alpha. Perhaps future change will be on the horizon after the Beta this weekend.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be available November 13 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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