Fortnite: Battle Royale Adding Skill-Based Matchmaking And Bots

If there are two things any online multiplayer PvP game never gets right, they're balance and matchmaking. Everything I don't use is OP and why do I always get stuck in non-competitive matches against people above my skill level? But at least game publishers try, even though it's all in vain because everyone will always complain about poor game balance and bad matchmaking. Welcome to MMOBomb: Nihilist Edition.

Nevertheless, for the first time since it launched, Epic Games is trying to improve matchmaking in Fortnite: Battle Royale. "Since Battle Royale launched, the matchmaking strategy for our core modes has remained mostly unchanged" begins today's announcement, and after two years, it's apparently time for some changes.

In the v10.40 update, Epic will deploy "improved matchmaking logic," which should match you "with players of similar skill, and as you get better, so should your opponents." That is, of course, what every game developer says about matchmaking when they're trying to improve it, but hey, nice of them to make the attempt, right?

And what if the system can't find enough people of a suitable skill level to play with you? The answer, apparently, is bots. They'll arrive in the next season and will "work in conjunction with the new matchmaking system, and as your skill improves, you’ll face fewer Bots." They won't appear in competitive matches, and, like everything else in the game, is something Epic will "continue to update and iterate." If a game as big as Fortnite: Battle Royale needs Bots to fill out matches, the option should be on the table for other battle royale games with low populations.