Heroes of the Storm is getting a new matchmaking system

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Heroes of the Storm - Final Push

Blizzard revealed some key changes coming to Heroes of the Storm during its "State of the Game" panel at BlizzCon earlier today. Bans will be enabled to Ranked Draft lobbies, probably in the relatively near future, and it's also looking to implement a Grandmaster ladder for players who've reached the top of the current ladder. There's also a plan to get a new matchmaking system in place before the end of the year.

The current Heroes of the Storm matchmaking system suffers from being essentially the same as that of StarCraft 2, which was built for speed rather than putting together quality matches. The new system will reverse those priorities and do a better job of matching up players of comparable skills. Simulations of the new system have resulted in much smaller gaps between player skill, game director Dustin Browder said, and a better balance of character roles within groups.

The "intent" is to have the new matchmaking system live within the next few weeks, although that's not carved in stone. Whenever it comes into play, it sounds like it will be a big step in the right direction.

Thanks, Polygon.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.