Overwatch 2 devs finally reveal secret MMR details amid matchmaking woes

The Overwatch 2 team has provided an update on the future of the game’s matchmaking system, promising a much more structured system amid issues with unbalanced matches and games.

Overwatch 2 is slowly but surely fixing up all the major issues that the game’s community have been calling to have changed since the game was first launched just months ago.

One of the biggest issues that still remains within the game is the matchmaking system, with players calling on the dev team to rework how the system is implemented and run.

In light of this, Blizzard have released a new blog post – part 1 of 2 – that explains the future changes for Overwatch 2 matchmaking and what players can expect from online play in the new year. The big change coming in the form of a new internal matchmaking system.

Overwatch 2’s Internal Matchmaking Rating (MMR)

Blizzard begin the post by explaining how their “matchmaker is designed to create balanced matches,” adding that in order “to do that, we need some approximation of each player’s skill.

From there, they gon to explain the new Internal Matching Rating system and how it will function in Overwatch 2.

“Everyone has an internal matchmaking rating (MMR) that’s a numerical value to describe your skill relative to everyone else. However, MMR isn’t an absolute value, meaning your MMR can change even if your personal skill stays the same. This could indicate the general population is getting better or worse compared to you.”

“Your MMR will rise over time if you improve your skill and win more games against players of your current MMR level. All our game modes, including Competitive, only look at MMR when forming a match. We never use your outward facing skill tier or division to form matches. Likewise, the rank you see in a player’s profile isn’t the same as their MMR.”

However, Blizzard promises that a player’s MMR will only be adjusted after wins, losses and if a player is returning to the game after a long time away from Overwatch 2. 

“We only adjust your MMR after you win or lose a game or if you come back after not playing for a long time. Your MMR is unaffected when we lower your rank at the beginning of a season, and everyone in your matches has a similar MMR as you. Initial ranked matches can feel turbulent because many players return at the beginning of a season, and anything that changes player population is going to affect the matchmaker.”

For all the latest Overwatch 2 content, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.