A patent by Activision suggests that multiplayer lobbies could be easier for the player if they’ve bought a lot of microtransactions.
Call Of Duty is practically synonymous with competition at this point. Thousands of players throw themselves into online matches every day, competing to boost their K/Ds, improve their ranks, upgrade weapons, and purchase a variety of cosmetic skins and items.
For more casual players, COD lobbies can often be a scary and frustrating place, and not just because of the increasingly bad toxicity levels… but have you ever wondered why you’re routinely getting stomped on by the opposition? Well, your lack of microtransactions might be to blame…
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Twitter user strahfe recently shared a patent by Activision that suggests buying cosmetic items could increase your chances of being placed in games against less-experienced players. The patent reads: “The microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player”.
Essentially, you could be getting stomped by someone with a Crash Bandicoot mask, but then want to buy the mask yourself after seeing it in-game.
Typically, online games use a skill-based matchmaking system that takes a number of factors into account when sorting players into lobbies. Obviously, your rank is a big factor, but your performance in-game is often considered too. If you finish a game with 30+ kills, the next game you play will see you face off against players who also got a lot of kills. If your performance in that game drops significantly, you’ll find yourself in a lower levelled lobby in the following game. It’s not a perfect system, but it gets the job done most of the time.
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Having a system tied to what cosmetics and microtransactions you bought though is definitely not ideal. It’s essentially pay-to-play, meaning the more regular purchases you make of the latest skins and accessories, the easier you’ll find the online multiplayer. This comes after many players already criticised Activision in the past for becoming “greedier” over the years.
Activision hasn’t confirmed or denied whether the patent is reflective of how multiplayer lobbies are actually organised, but that hasn’t stopped players from voicing their opinion on the matter.
“Company Greed at its finest.
“Been saying it since the Beta of MW2, and even since MW19 came out with that games whole SBMM system, COD is just not a legitimate FPS anymore. It's about as rigged as you can get.”
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“never a better time to quit this franchise and shame everyone who buys mtx from activision”
Activision are already in hot-water at the moment, as its desperately trying to see its deal with Xbox be finalised. The deal has faced potentially catastrophic pushback from the UK, and it’s reported both parties are considering all options to ensure the deal goes through, even if it means pulling Activision games out of the UK market.
Featured Image Credit: ActivisionTopics: Call Of Duty, Activision, Activision Blizzard, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call Of Duty Warzone
