Call of Duty is making one of its biggest multiplayer changes in years, introducing a brand new "Classic" matchmaking system inspired by some of the franchise's most popular titles.

Following months of player feedback about skill-based matchmaking, Activision has confirmed it's bringing in a system based on the matchmaking used in the original Black Ops and Black Ops II. It will exist alongside the current Open matchmaking playlists, with both available in Black Ops 7 and during the Modern Warfare 4 beta.

Call of Duty reveals new Classic matchmaking system

Announcing the change in a post on X, the official Call of Duty account said the decision followed months of analysing multiplayer data and listening to community feedback.

"Over the past year, we've continued to learn a lot about Multiplayer matchmaking through player data and community feedback. We're also excited to see all the recent love for Black Ops and Black Ops II, which reinforced that there are many elements of those experiences that players appreciate."

The post continued: "Starting this week with Season 05, we're updating Black Ops Classic, Quick Play, and Party Games in Black Ops 7 with a new matchmaking system inspired by those classic games. We'll continue to offer Open playlists in Black Ops 7, and we'll also include Open playlist options in the upcoming Modern Warfare 4 Beta."

What is Classic matchmaking?

While Activision hasn't shared a detailed technical explanation of how the new system works, it says the goal is to recreate the matchmaking philosophy of the original Black Ops games. Those titles placed far less emphasis on player skill than modern Call of Duty releases, instead prioritising connection quality and creating a wider variety of public matches.

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Skill is still expected to influence matchmaking, but to a much smaller degree than the stricter skill-based systems used in recent games.

The new Classic matchmaking system will be available in the Black Ops Classic, Quick Play, and Party Games playlists starting with Season 05. Players who prefer the current experience won't lose it either, as Open matchmaking playlists will remain available in Black Ops 7.

Activision has also confirmed that Open playlist options will be included in the upcoming Modern Warfare 4 beta, giving players the chance to try both matchmaking styles before the game's full release.