RANKED 2.0: Y7S4 FINDINGS
In Y7S4, a new Ranked system called Ranked 2.0. was introduced, transforming the players’ experience on the matchmaking level.
WHAT WE DISCOVERED
With Ranked 2.0 being live for a full season, we can now share more information about what we’ve learned so far. We’ve included in this dev blog our discoveries as well as steps we will be taking to improve this system. For more details on what has changed since the launch of Ranked 2.0, please refer to this dedicated article.
RANKED PLAYER’S POPULATION
Since the launch of Ranked 2.0, we've seen an increase in the Ranked players population. 41% of players have tried ranked at least once last season, which represents an increase when compared to the previous seasons for which the average was around 35%. Ranked players also played more matches.
When looking at the time spent on each game mode, we can clearly see how Ranked has grown to encompass an average of 51.4% of the global playtime spent in Rainbow Six: Siege, with the previous average being at around 39%.
MATCHMAKING
Removing skill reset at the season’s start helped improve matchmaking balance and fairness. In Y7S4, the percentage of one-sided matches (matches ending in 4 or 5 rounds) reduced, meaning that matches were more even for everyone.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT
Despite good results from the new Ranked system, we are also aware of some issues that are affecting players in their ladder experience.
RANK DISTRIBUTION
Overall, players seemed to reach a Rank equal to their hidden skill near the middle of the season. Players that reach that point and keep playing achieve a maximum of 1 to 2 divisions above their skill level, with fewer than a 0.05 percentage of players reaching higher than those 2 extra divisions which, overall, we are pleased about.
CHAMPIONS’ DISTRIBUTION
It’s true that we’ve seen an increase in the number of players reaching the Champion’s Rank. However, as shown previously, hitting Champion remains a matter of skill. The average Champion player still takes around 100 matches to regain the Champions’ Rank which is what we expected and is in line with the previous season's rule. We know that reaching the top rank in Siege should feel like an accomplishment and that’s why we are working on a way to make it more challenging. We’ll have more to share on this in Y8S2.
LINEAL CLIMB PROGRESSION
Right now, the common Ranked experience for players is earning +80RP per win for most of the season until they start getting close to their real Rank. This is not a positive experience for most players as the journey through those ranks starts to feel very linear.
We also feel like maintaining the same progression speed throughout much of the ladder does not represent the experience that we want, for example, a player with a hidden Skill of 4000 should not progress through Copper and Bronze at the same speed as through Platinum and Emerald.
CONCLUSION
Rest assured that Ranked 2.0 has been built in order to make it easy to tweak this system as our goal is to continuously adjust and improve it based on our findings throughout the seasons. We are also happy to listen to your comments and feedback, which constantly helps us improve our game.
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