Activision is rolling out a third matchmaking system for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, adding to the two already in place and prompting confusion among players about which option best suits them. The new system, launched today with Season 5, is "inspired by" the recently released PlayStation ports of the original Black Ops and Black Ops 2, and applies to the Quick Play, Party Games and Black Ops Classic playlists.

Black Ops 7 already runs a standard matchmaking system alongside an "Open" option introduced before launch, which uses "minimal skill consideration" in response to long-running community complaints about skill-based matchmaking. Activision has not clarified how the new system differs from Open, and Eurogamer says it has asked for details. The publisher also confirmed that August's Modern Warfare 4 beta will offer both standard and Open matchmaking, suggesting the full game will follow suit, amid renewed interest in classic Call of Duty following the permanent addition of a Black Ops 1&2-inspired Classic mode.