One of the most frustrating things for Fortnite players can be getting paired up with someone of a higher skill level than you. Now, according to a new blog post from Epic, a new matchmaking system hopes to correct this issue. They aim to do this by pairing up players of a similar skill level across all platforms.
Of course, that could be a bad thing considering how Fortnite is also on mobile devices, giving those players a slight control disadvantage. Epic’s ultimate goal at the end of the day is to make the game as evenly matched as possible. This is to prevent, for example, a veteran player from being matched with a relatively new player.
How this will work in Fortnite
According to Epic, their new system accounts for the various platforms and control inputs. It will then group players together according to their skill. Epic also states that they will continue to monitor all matches very closely. As such, be warned. Anyone who tries to take advantage of this new system through methods such as “smurfing” will be banned. Smurfing is where a veteran player purposely creates a new account to take advantage of new players.
On the topic of smurfing, we’ve seen discussion around players smurfing as a way to have easier matches. Smurfing is a bannable offense. We see a bunch of negative behavior that occurs with smurfing and issues with gameplay integrity. If we see consistent reports and perceive that you are negatively impacting other players’ experiences, we will take appropriate action.
It’s great to see Epic taking this seriously. You can check out a video below, explaining how big of a problem it has become in Fortnite.
Statement from Epic
Our goal with the new matchmaking system is to create fairer matches for all of our players, which includes special considerations for each platform. This means that where similar skill exists, players may be paired against opponents from ALL platforms – whether they’re using mouse + keyboard, a controller, or touch input. We are closely monitoring match analytics and your feedback, and we’ll make adjustments to ensure everyone is playing a fair match.
Hopefully, this will succeed in evening out the playing field despite the various platform differences. What do you think of this new system? Let us know in the comments below.
