As Season 10 of Fortnite Battle Royale nears its end, Epic Games has implemented some massive changes to its insanely popular game mode. Now, when a player ques into a game, the new matchmaking system will analyze their skill level and place them in a lobby with users of a similar level.
While this may seem like a positive change, some Fortnite players have begun using it to their advantage, much to the dismay of the game's developers. In a recent blog post, Epic Games discussed the change to matchmaking and the negatives that have come from it.
"Our goal with the new matchmaking system is to create fairer matches for all of our players, which includes special considerations for each platform," the developers explained. "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."
The matchmaking system is clearly in place to help less-experienced users better themselves at the game without having to face off against skilled opponents. When someone starts to play a new game, they must have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs without being paired up against users who have a lot more experience. When situations like that occur, players can become discouraged and decide not to return, an obvious concern for Epic.
Even with the intentions of matchmaking laid out, some people have decided to cheat the system for their benefit. In a practice that's referred to as "smurfing," players will begin a new account without a skill level in order to be matched up with less experienced-users. As the blog post explains, Epic will come down hard on anyone it discovers is smurfing, with an outright ban as a possible punishment.
While Fortnite works out the kinks for matchmaking, the developers also provided an update on the highly anticipated Bot implementation. Going into Season 11, Epic Games will add characters controlled by the computer to Battle Royale to help new players make the transition to the game mode. The blog post explains that a "vs. Bot" mode is in the works that will help players sharpen their skills by facing a lobby of entirely computer-controlled characters.
Fortnite is available across multiple gaming platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iOS and Android devices.