For those unfamiliar, every competitive video game utilizes skill-based matchmaking, also known as SBMM. The concept is to place players of similar skill levels in exclusive lobbies. The criteria for SBMM can vary across different games. Some games prioritize average kill-to-death ratios, while others focus on overall win ratios. With Fortnite’s longevity of over half a decade, many assumed it boasted one of the best SBMM systems. However, reports indicate disparities in player statistics within the same lobby.
Skill level of matches are not matching up how they should.
byu/ShitpostX15 inFortNiteBR
A Reddit user posts an incredible Fortnite SBMM Disparity post.
Fortnite is a battle Royale game and requires 100 players to start a lobby. While in the unranked mode, Epic adds AI bots to complete lobbies, but in ranked mode, it isn’t as prevalent. Developers, up until the end of the silver rank might fill the lobby with AI bots. However, after silver, all 100 players are real players. In a recent Reddit post, one player showed a statement stating they played around 146 matches in total and were placed in a lobby with a player who had 150 wins. To put this into perspective, players averaged around one win per 10 matches. The player with 150 wins has clearly played significantly more matches than the player with 146 matches.
This post has been going viral in the past few days, and Epic might need to sort this out. While we’re not completely sure if this was a ranked SBMM or not, either way, lobbies are becoming sweatier with a minimum of five of the 100 players being highly ranked and farming kills. The disparity between these players has clearly alerted the Fortnite community, and hopefully, by the next update, there is a solution to avoid higher ELO players. It is true that, unlike other games, Fortnite has to feature a hundred players in its lobby. And because of that, there will be a certain amount of disparity, but 150 wins versus 146 matches is way too much. Epic has been called out for ruining gamers’ grinding experience.
How does SBMM work?
SBMM works in different ways for different games. Titles like Valorant pair players with teammates and opponents based on their headshot percentage, win ratio, and other stats. Unfortunately, Fortnite’s SBMM does not consider as many stats when creating a balanced lobby. If players are placed in lobbies below their skill level, they end up performing too well and get placed in much sweatier lobbies the next match. This issue frustrates most players, and to combat it, Fortnite introduced AI bots.
AI bots received a mixed reception in Fortnite. While the game became much easier for new players to learn, it became boring for experienced players as they were easily clearing lobbies within five minutes. Almost every match featured AI bots in every location, and the game was designed to lead players to the final 1v1, hinting that the majority of the server consisted of AI. Finding the right balance between bots and players seems to be the only real answer to combat SBMM issues. The issue of longer wait times in high ELO lobbies is probably why Fortnite started pairing low ELO players with experienced players in the same lobby. Hopefully, a cleaner SBMM system will come into the game soon.
