Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 recently rolled out a “Classic” matchmaking system for several playlists, inspired by the matchmaking in earlier Black Ops titles. Intended as another option alongside skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), the change has drawn significant backlash from the community.Skill-based matchmaking has long been a point of frustration for many Call of Duty players. Black Ops 7 had previously introduced “Open” playlists that leaned less heavily on SBMM and were initially well-received, though later adjustments left some fans disappointed.On July 22, the official Call of Duty account announced that the Season 5 update would bring Classic matchmaking to Party Games, Quick Play, and Black Ops Classic modes. The system was described as offering smarter team balancing, greater match variety, and an improved experience for parties with mixed skill levels. Open playlists were confirmed to remain available.A few weeks after launch, the response has been largely negative. Popular streamer Xclusive Ace shared early complaints about long lobby evaluation times that caused players to leave, calling the new system slower and worse overall. In a follow-up post on August 9, he described a Quick Play match filled with highly skilled players using meta weapons, saying there was “0 room for error” and that the Season 5 update had turned his favorite modern Call of Duty into a terrible experience overnight.His comments spread to the r/blackops7 subreddit, where players echoed similar frustrations. Many said Activision had ruined multiplayer, citing longer matchmaking wait times and slower connections during games.Overall, the Classic matchmaking change has not landed well with a significant portion of the player base so far.