Fortnite Season 7: Is skill-based matchmaking back?

Fortnite's vast player base ranges from every level of skill available, from casual or new players to competitive and professional players. Recently, a Reddit thread has brought Fortnite's matchmaking system into the spotlight and hints at the skill-based system's unfair process.

Players who win and succeed at multiple games are pooled together with other high-ranking players to ensure a fair chance at victory. On the other hand, less experienced players get matched together for the same reason, ultimately creating as level of a playing field as possible.

Fortnite's skill-based match system

Occasionally, some Fortnite players may find a victory in their hands by chance or by a twist of fate. Whether the victor won due to the last enemy standing getting caught in the storm or a lucky shot, they'll instantly rise in the ranks.

From what players are starting to see, the skill portion of the matchmaking system could be back, bringing a series of problems with it. Fortnite players who perform well have started to see almost expert opponents in casual games.

@FortniteStatus @FortniteGame the match making and party system seems jacked up on ps and xbox. Is there an issue?

— Draden The Dark (@DradenTheDark) March 22, 2021

The issue that arises with this system is that if players win a match, they could potentially be thrown into a group of elite players. Many have complained that once they win a single match, they instantly see players who are marginally better than them.

@FortniteGame you match making system sucks!!! Every day have to play with try hard or professional players. Can you implement a system of cups? When you win acquire more cups or when you lose, miss a lot of cups? In the style of Browlstar... in this way the match is more fair!

— Juan Pablo Lozano (@lozanotux) December 19, 2020

The match-making system doesn't take other factors into account other than performance like kills and place players finished in. Accidental wins happen frequently, and sometimes, two players who are average in the game might wind up as the last two.

Image via Epic Games

This leads to one of the casual players obtaining a victory and sending a signal to the match-making system that boosts their ranking. From there, casual players that have a slightly higher than average winrate could see opponents that can build an entire apartment complex in 30 seconds.

@FortniteGame has a terrible skill based match making system. How on earth am I getting matched with mechanical gods? I’m no where near some of these players levels

— Fortnite_iMrSoloDolo (@imrsolodolo) February 25, 2021

The matchmaking system in Fortnite today seems to be a bit broken when pairing some players with those who rank much higher. A possible reason that some comments suggest is that casual players simply act as filler spots for random matches.

Either way, it's clear that a player's performance in a Fortnite match carries a lot of weight based on how some casual players find highly skilled opponents. The matchmaking system has seen some changes throughout the game's lifespan, so a process that calculates sheer skill through winning statistics isn't surprising.