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Respawn are planning big changes to Apex Legends, and they have the data to back them up

Changes to SBMM coming?

Apex Legends uses skill-based matchmaking, a feature that has players divided since the game's release. Apex Legends matchmaking has been a point of focus for a long time, but changes may be coming soon. Respawn Entertainment shared data from playtests conducted in one region that may point to promising news for matchmaking.

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Respawn Entertainment conducted the playtests through December in one region, and the results show a much larger percentage of players with kills in the battle royale. The graph shared by Respawn shows a large spike in the percentage of players with kills during the playtest, but what does that mean?

Related: Who is Ballistic in Apex Legends? Release Date and Leaked Abilities

Whatever changes made during the playtest resulted in more players getting at least one kill during matches, which may point to more balanced matchmaking. The data also stays consistent throughout the playtest, meaning that almost a month's matches saw a much higher percentage of player kills.

Although no changes have been made yet, the data shared from the playtest is a good sign for players wanting changes in SBMM. A larger percentage of players getting at least one kill seems like it would improve the battle royale experience. Respawn has indicated that data will continue to be monitored, and more information will be shared at a later time.

If changes to matchmaking are to happen, it will most likely be at the start of Season 16 at the earliest. Season 16 is scheduled to start on February 14, 2023, so if any changes are made quickly, players may see it then.

For more on Apex Legends, check out All leaks that may come to Apex Legends in 2023 here on Pro Game Guides.


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Author
Bishop Lister
Bishop Lister is a writer and sports data analyst covering video games since 2019 after graduating from Arizona State University with a bachelor's in Sports Business, minoring in Digital Media Literacy. Bishop enjoys covering RPGs, sports, fighting, strategy titles, and FPS titles, with a focus on Apex Legends.

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Respawn are planning big changes to Apex Legends, and they have the data to back them up

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