Treyarch closes the door on another Call of Duty theory

Black Ops 7 design director Matt Scronce has said there is no skill-based damage in Call of Duty, putting fresh speculation about the system back where it belongs: in the pile of theories that refuse to die quietly.

Skill-based matchmaking has been a familiar complaint in the series for years, but some players have gone a step further and argued that the game also tweaks damage depending on skill level. The idea, according to the theory, is that stronger players are quietly nerfed when facing lower-skilled opponents so casual players are not steamrolled out of the game entirely. Subtle, if true. Conveniently, there is still no evidence that it is true.

Why the theory resurfaced

The latest round of suspicion picked up after a Sony patent submitted in 2024 resurfaced on March 29. The patent described a system that could buff or nerf players based on skill, which was enough to send the conversation spinning again.

Streamer Reidboy added fuel to the discussion on X, posting: “People really tried to call me crazy every time I tell them skill based damage is 100% real and in the game.”

Scronce answered directly and did not leave much room for interpretation: “I can promise you, there’s nothing behind the scenes modifying any of our damage values.”

This denial is not new

Treyarch and Activision have both addressed the rumor before. In April 2024, Activision published a blog explaining how matchmaking works in Call of Duty and directly denied that it changes gameplay systems.

The company asked:

“Does the Call of Duty matchmaking process impact any in-game elements such as hit registration, player visibility, aim assist, damage, et cetera?”

Its answer was just as blunt:

“No. Our matchmaking process does not impact gameplay elements.”

The one piece of evidence people keep pointing to

The closest thing to supporting evidence came from Warzone Casual, where TheXclusiveAce found that bots in the mode dealt more damage to high-skill players. Even then, that finding did not extend to standard battle royale modes or to fights between two real players.

So the official line remains the same: no skill-based damage, no hidden damage adjustment, and no secret system quietly deciding that your bullets should take a night off. Still, given how long this particular rumor has survived, it is probably not going anywhere soon.