Following our backend update on September 30, we want to check in, address some of the friction you experienced over the past week, and share what we’re doing to make your match-to-match experience smoother.
TL;DR
- Healthier Matches: Matchmaking stability has returned to normal across all platforms and playlists.
- Staying Together: More of you are successfully rolling into the next round with your squads and friendly rivals.
- Fewer Bot Lobbies: We deployed a backend timer adjustment today that gives real players more time to fill lobbies before AI backfill kicks in.
Why We Made the Change
Our core goal has been to keep more players together from one match to the next, which means great lobbies stay together. When you find a squad that clicks or an opposing team that gives you a hard-fought match, you shouldn’t have to get completely reshuffled every single round.
On September 30, we introduced backend improvements aimed at keeping as many players together as possible from match to match, while still respecting your individual playlist and map preferences.
What Happened & What We Heard
While the system succeeded in keeping more groups together across rounds, we know it also introduced frustrating side effects:
- An unexpected surge in bot-filled matches.
- Lobbies stalling out or taking too long to populate.
Jumping into a match only to find half the server populated by AI isn't the experience any of us want. Over the past several days, our team rolled out hotfixes and live tweaks to stabilize queue performance, and metrics have steadily returned to healthy baselines.
Today’s Fix: Smarter Countdown Timers
To resolve the bot backfill issue without sacrificing queue speed, we rolled out an additional backend update today:
- Extended Pre-Round Countdown for Conquest and Escalation: Once a lobby hits the minimum player threshold to start, the countdown timer now gives a brief additional window for incoming players to filter in.
- What This Means for You: Rounds will start with fuller, real-player lobbies, reducing the chance that AI bots fill empty slots before the match kicks off. All of this comes with virtually no noticeable increase to your overall queue times.
Looking Ahead
Matchmaking remains an ongoing balance between match quality, lobby continuity, and quick queue times. We are continuing to monitor server health, fill rates, and—most importantly—your feedback as these adjustments settle in.
Jump in, play a few rounds, and let us know how your matches feel. Thank you for sticking with us, sharing your clips and reports, and helping us build a better game every day.
Community Manager
