Treyarch Confirms Open Matchmaking and Persistent Lobbies for Black Ops 7 – SBMM Finally Gone

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is shaping up to be one of the most surprising releases in recent years – not because of its weapons, maps, or campaign, but because of what Treyarch just did to one of the most controversial systems in modern multiplayer gaming: Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM). In a move few expected, Treyarch announced that Open Matchmaking will be the default setting when Black Ops 7 launches, drastically reducing how much player skill affects who you’re paired with online.

For fans who have fought against SBMM for years, this feels like the end of an era – and a major victory for those who wanted a return to the more unpredictable chaos of the older Call of Duty titles.

In its official blog, Treyarch explained that lessons learned from the beta were critical to shaping this decision. The studio described Open Matchmaking as being like the Open Moshpit playlist from the beta – but now, it will be the baseline experience for all players at launch. That means matches will rely far less on hidden skill metrics and more on availability and connection, making every game more spontaneous. For veterans of the franchise, it’s a return to the old-school feel where anything could happen – where a casual player might suddenly find themselves holding their own against a high-ranked opponent, or a pro might dominate an entire lobby for fun.

This marks a stark contrast from the last decade of Call of Duty, which leaned heavily on SBMM. The system’s intention was noble: to ensure fair competition by placing players of similar skill in the same lobbies. But for many, it made casual play feel like constant try-hard competition – what the community calls “sweaty” matches. Worse still, Activision never revealed a player’s actual skill rating, leaving everyone guessing how matchmaking really worked. Players spent years analyzing their stats, kill-to-death ratios, and win rates, trying to decode the hidden system that dictated who they fought against.

When Activision finally broke its silence last year, it offered only vague explanations. Skill, it said, was based on overall performance across kills, deaths, wins, and losses, and even on the player’s choice of game modes. This rating adjusted dynamically – a “fluid measurement” that adapted after every match. It wasn’t just about finding opponents of equal strength; it also tried to balance teams to prevent huge skill gaps. The result, Activision claimed, was a fairer experience where both casuals and experts saw roughly equal wins and losses. But to many players, that logic stripped away the thrill of random matchmaking, where domination or humiliation were both part of the fun.

With Black Ops 7, Treyarch seems to agree with that sentiment. “Our team feels strongly about providing players with a more varied experience,” the studio wrote. “The beta proved to be a great opportunity to test this approach.” The change effectively pushes SBMM to the sidelines, at least in public lobbies. Ranked play will still rely on skill-based pairing, but casual modes are now designed to feel looser, faster, and more social. For those who have spent years criticizing SBMM, this is the “W” they’ve been waiting for.

Treyarch didn’t stop there. The studio confirmed that persistent lobbies – another hot topic among fans – will return in Black Ops 7. That means players can now stay in the same lobby across multiple matches instead of being scattered into new ones after every round. It’s a subtle feature but one that fosters familiarity and rivalry, reminiscent of the franchise’s golden era on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. “We’ve heard the community discussion and are focused on keeping players together from match to match more often,” Treyarch said. “Persistent lobbies will be there at launch.”

Other tweaks are also coming. Aim assist is being rebalanced, with Treyarch promising fairer input parity across controllers and mouse setups. Though details remain under wraps, the studio reassured fans that tuning for rotational aim assist is a top priority before launch. It’s a delicate topic, especially with crossplay in full effect – and Treyarch knows the stakes are high.

Meanwhile, Activision shared more numbers from the beta: over 97% of cheaters were caught within 30 minutes of logging in, and less than 1% made it into actual matches. That’s a massive improvement over previous games, signaling a more secure and polished launch. However, PC players will still need to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, a security measure that some find annoying but necessary to prevent tampering.

All of this comes ahead of Black Ops 7’s official release on November 14, following a final beta wrap-up and a free trial of Black Ops 6 launching alongside Battlefield 6 week. For many, this announcement represents a turning point for Call of Duty – a symbolic gesture that perhaps, for once, Activision and Treyarch are really listening to their community. Still, not everyone is convinced. Some players argue that removing SBMM entirely will only benefit elite players, while others claim persistent lobbies will get old fast. Whether this is a true course correction or just a temporary experiment remains to be seen. But for now, even skeptics admit: it’s nice to see Call of Duty stirring the pot again.

One fan summed it up best: “Competition is good for consumers – and finally, we’re seeing that reflected in the battlefield.”