XDefiant dev agrees that with no SBMM, if you’re not finding “easy enemies” in Ubisoft’s shooter, it’s because you are the easy enemy

And there’s room for improvement

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An XDefiant producer has agreed with the sentiment that if you never find “easy enemies” in the shooter without skill-based matchmaking, it’s a sign that youarethe “easy enemy.”

The ‘SBMM’ debate has been raging for a good few years now in shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield. On one hand, developers argue that it’s good for matching up players of equal skill level. On the other hand, streamers and professional players argue that it’s bad because it matches them up with players of equal skill level.

XDefiant,Ubisoft’s new free-to-play FPS which just launched last week,omits skill-based matchmaking once players are past the ‘introductory’ phase of the game. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work out perfectly for everyone. In a tweet, YouTuber Xclusive Ace argues that if XDefiant players “never find easy enemies,” it’s because they’ve “got a lot of room for improvement.” XDefiant producer Mark Rubin, quoting the original tweet, apparently agrees with this sentiment.

This! https://t.co/1IhJ0bMVNsMay 25, 2024

Both Rubin and the original tweet are saying this isn’t a bad thing in the slightest, because improving your game will feel better in the end. “As you work on improving, the results of that are so much more rewarding because it’s reflected directly in your gameplay performance over time,” Xclusive Ace further adds in the original tweet above.

Rubin and the streamer are pointing out that there isn’t some nefarious script quietly working in the background to prevent you getting matched up against “easy enemies.” If you are struggling like this, it’s a sign that you have room to improve, and from the perspective of your opponent’s, you are in fact the “easy” enemy player. It’s all relative.

Check out ourXDefiant skill ratingguide for a full breakdown of how your performance is rated and judged.

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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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