ElectronicArtsis apparently working on a new and innovative type of matchmaking system that may give players more control over who they play with than before. Developers have used all sorts of matchmaking systems in the past to automatically pair players up with one another for an online multiplayer match, but a new patent filed by Electronic Arts looks tofurther customize the matchmaking experienceand put more power in the hands of the players themselves. As this information comes from a patent and not an official press release from Electronic Arts, it should be said that it is all subject to change.
Gamers are likely very familiar withElectronic Arts' matchmaking systems already, even if they don’t know it. Titles likeBattlefield2042or theFIFAseries all use some form of matchmaking to accommodate online matches between players all around the world. For the most part, though, it all happens behind the scenes and players are removed from the matchmaking process. This patent could change that.
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Theprimary goal of matchmakingis simply to put together enough players to start a game in the quickest amount of time possible. Electronic Arts' new patent aims to do so while also giving players increased control over the types of players they are matched with. Analyzing the patent, the basic idea is that players will create a matchmaking request with specific parameters. The system will then search the “Waiting Pool” to see if there is another matchmaking request with the same or similar parameters. If there is, the “candidates” will be matched immediately. Otherwise, the player making the request will be added to the Waiting Pool until another request matches theirs.
The primary concern players might have with this is that it will increase the time it takes to find a match. After all, no one likes aslow matchmaking system. To accommodate for this, the patent refers to what it calls “distance” and a “distance threshold.” Essentially, “distance” refers to how different the parameters that two players have set are, and the “distance threshold” is how great of a difference there can be between parameters before a match is made. The matchmaking system will use historical data and train itself to hopefully find the right balance between an acceptable distance threshold and the amount of time it takes for a match to be made.
Obviously this will work best when there is a large number of players participating in and using the matchmaking system, butpopular titles from Electronic Artstend to have little problem when it comes to garnering a large player base. While the idea is certainly exciting, it’s important to keep in mind that this is speculation based on the patent, and players would be wise to wait for an official announcement from Electronic Arts about the upcoming matchmaking system before getting too invested.
