Marvel Rivals Engagement-Based Matchmaking (EOMM), explained

Aside from the usual bugs and performance hiccups, matchmaking in competitive video games has long been a magnet for controversy. Marvel Rivals is no exception, with many players suspecting the use of engagement-based matchmaking algorithms, which is possibly fueling the rampant rank inflation plaguing the popular hero shooter.

If you’re wondering what EOMM means and how it’s possibly degrading your ranked experience and diminishing fair play in Marvel Rivals, this guide has everything you need to know.

What is EOMM in video games?

An engagement-based matchmaking system focuses on offering you an experience that keeps you hooked to the video game. This approach prioritizes player engagement and retention over skills, making your games more “fun” and less repetitive and grindy. While it doesn’t sound as bad, there are plenty of understandable reasons why players are concerned about NetEase potentially using it in Marvel Rivals.

For starters, EOMM disregards actual skills when matching you with players for a ranked game. Instead, it considers factors like your win/lose streaks and preferences to tweak your experiences, so that you keep coming back. With this system in place, for example, you may notice your games are getting slightly easier or ending up in a close outcome after you’ve lost a series of matches. You may suddenly start getting well-coordinated teammates or a quirky set of enemies who seem “boosted.” At the same time, if you’re on a major win streak, the game may (deliberately) match you up with “bad” teammates to give you the frustrating taste of a losing streak. 

Whether you’re on a losing streak, getting the taste of a satisfying win, or a steady winner being slammed with a heart-breaking series of bad games, EOMM tries to ensure that you’re neither too frustrated with losses, nor too bored with wins. 

Is EOMM in Marvel Rivals?

While NetEase has only said yes to using skill-based and performance-based matchmaking algorithms in Marvel Rivals, players have found plenty of evidence to support their EOMM claims. 

For example, many players swear by logging out of the game after being on a losing streak and coming back after a few hours: A workaround that automatically puts them on a winning streak. Similarly, it’s advised to stop playing the game after you win a number of matches to avoid the EOMM scandal. Besides such theories, eagle-eyed fans have also found multiple research papers on experimenting with EOMM algorithms published by NetEase. This doesn’t prove the presence of EOMM in Marvel Rivals, but certain statements in some of those papers fit into the puzzle too well to be ignored.

To top this off, Marvel Rivals also implements a weird performance-based matchmaking system (PBMM) that lets players climb the ranked ladder despite a negative win rate based on their stats alone. Coupled with the possible use of EOMM, it’s naturally wreaking havoc on the competitive experience. No wonder, this hero shooter has one of the worst cases of rank inflation we’ve seen in a while.

Whether NetEase will keep following this controversial mix of algorithms or shift to a pure skill-based system following player outrage is a story for another day.