Matchmaking in Call of Duty games has been under fire since it was revealed that Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM for short) would be part of the Black Ops Cold War experience. However, there is a rumor that there might be a compromise in the works, with a proper ranked mode potentially coming to the game.
Content creators, along with many others, have been critical of SBMM for a while. The claim is that SBMM takes away the fun of the game for casual players and that it could punish new players who happen to be good at the game. SBMM, according to the developers that use it, is designed to ensure that the multiplayer lobby that you end up in is balanced to your skill level—ensuring that games are neither too difficult, nor too easy.
While Treyarch has stood by the use of SBMM, it appears as though the developer is willing to make a compromise with the CoD fan base. According to reputed Call of Duty leaker, Tom Henderson, Black Ops Cold War should be getting a ranked playlist for those who like to play competitively.
The League Play mode was available in other Call of Duty games, but was missing in Modern Warfare and was not initially included with Black Ops Cold War. This fueled speculation that a separate playlist for competitive players had been removed from the Call of Duty franchise. While Henderson was unable to give an exact timeline for when League Play would be coming to Black Ops Cold War, he did mention that it would be sometime between now and March.
With the second season of the Call of Duty League, the timing of the update to matchmaking may make some sense. Whether the change was spurred by the player reaction to SBMM or if it is tied to the Call of Duty League is unknown. Regardless of the reasoning, it appears that this compromise might be the best way to make players of all flavors happier. Time will tell if League Play should be expected in future games.