Apex Legends players call for changes to “broken” SBMM
Apex Legends fans are frustrated with the state of the battle royale’s SBMM in Season 9 and are calling for Respawn Entertainment to fix this “broken” system once and for all.
Apex Legends Season 9 received various changes in the 1.69 patch, including a fix for Wattson’s fences and added abandon penalties to Arenas. However, players still aren’t happy with the SBMM system.
Skill Based Matchmaking is meant to put players in lobbies with others who have similar ranks as them, but this doesn’t often work. Now, fans believe the issue has gotten worse in Season 9 and want some big changes soon.
Respawn has stood by the SBMM in Apex Legends, but many fans disagree. “Either this game just has no more casual players in it (a distinct possibility), or this game seems to think I’m far better than I actually am,” wrote PolishMuhGrapple.
According to Respawn’s Principal Coder Michael Kalas, the matchmaking in Apex Legends is designed to “result in fun, entertainment, accomplishment, and playing longer.” However, the battle royale has been around for long enough for players to increase in skill naturally.
There will always be new players joining the game, but they should not be ranked against ones who have much greater experience. Unfortunately, that’s often the case, and the fans are sick of it.
This problem often occurs in casual matches where players have to play against opponents of varying ranks. If you’re picking up the game for the first time, then this won’t be a fair match when you’re battling someone who’s at level 70.
So far, Respawn hasn’t responded to this, so it’s unclear whether they plan to touch this system anytime soon. They’ve previously stated that they expect Skill Based Matchmaking to be the norm for multiplayer games.
We’ll be sure to update you if this changes anytime soon. Be sure to check our guide for collecting the Valkyrie skin in the Apex Legends Legacy Pack in Season 9.
Image credits: Respawn Entertainment
