Why Reset MMR?

Hey friend! Seasonal rank resets just rolled around again, and I‘m sure you‘ve been wondering like me – what actually happens to our matchmaking ratings? Why do some games reset MMR while others don‘t? What‘s the point of it all anyway? Well, I‘ve been obsessing over the details and have some insights to share!

First, let‘s quickly go over what MMR is again. MMR stands for matchmaking rating, and it‘s a hidden score used in games like League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch and more to match players of similar skill. It‘s based on the chess ranking system called Elo, invented all the way back in the 1960s to calculate relative skill levels.

Basically, winning games increases your MMR and losing decreases it. The matchmaker uses MMR to put you in fair matches against opponents near your talent level. Simple enough right? Now let‘s get into the controversial stuff – the resets!

MMR resets happen for a few key reasons:

Recalibration – If the game balance changes dramatically, like new heroes or map tweaks in Overwatch, ratings need to be wiped and recalibrated based on the fresh meta.

Engagement – Resets give players a sense of progression again each season as they climb back to their peak ranks. Unlocks feel rewarding again for a while!

Uncertainty – Wiping the slate clean allows the system to rapidly readjust skill estimations using the new post-reset data.

However, there‘s also some solid arguments against resets:

Grinding – Having to grind back to your former rank each time feels repetitive and disrespectful of player investment.

Match Disruption – The quality and fairness of matches drops while uncertainty rebalances.

Smurfs – Resets allow high skill players to stomp newbies by jumping on alternate accounts post-reset.

Different competitive games have taken different approaches based on these tradeoffs:

MMR Reset Spectrums

• Hard Reset – Completely erases all MMR data and players start from scratch again. Very rare, only seen in extreme cases.

• Soft Reset – MMRs are crunched closer together, often toward a median like 1200, but relative differences are maintained. Most common seasonal approach.

• No Reset – Continuous MMR system with no resets ever. All matches contribute to the persistent skill rating.

Let‘s see how some popular games handle things:

League of Legends

• Soft MMR reset down to around 1200 each season.
• Creates a climb, but is controversial among players.
• Research shows reset squishes inflated ratings, but disrupts initial match fairness.

Overwatch

• Originally had annual hard MMR resets, leading to heavy grind complaints.
• Now has no resets, just ongoing background MMR adjustments to optimize accuracy.

Dota 2

• No MMR resets since launch. Very long-term skill measurement.
• Feels respectful of player time invested, but players feel stuck at peaks and trenches.

Dead by Daylight

• Used a unique visual rank system from 20 to 1 with pip progression.
• Regular hard rank resets led to rapid, repetitive churn.
• Recently switched to continuous MMR system with soft resets to address complaints.

Now you might be wondering – how does the matchmaker actually calculate your MMR? Let‘s peel back the algorithms driving these systems.

While the details are kept secret, we know the basics:

• Winning raises MMR, losing lowers it.
• The amount shifted depends on:

1. Your current rating vs your opponent‘s rating
2. Your uncertainty value
3. Other factors like teammate MMR, win probability, match fairness etc

• Uncertainty is highest for new players/accounts and decreases over time. This allows rapid early progression that slows down.

• Party restrictions prevent very high and low MMR duo queues to maintain match integrity.

Developers are constantly tweaking the systems. But the core math aims to determine your skill through probability-based predictions of your expected win rate against given opponents. It‘s statistics in action!

Of course the reality has grey areas. Duo queue boosting, wintrading, and smurfs undermine the systems. But they remain our best matchmaking option despite limitations. The incentives and knobs around progression simply require constant optimization.

Based on my research and observations, here is my take:

• Annual soft resets seem to strike the right balance for most competitive games. This allows MMR adjustments while limiting disruption and repetitive grinding.

• Visible ranks should be cosmetic fluff on top of the hidden MMR to provide a sense of progression within the reset cycles.

• Uncertainty should optimize for faster convergence but retain a small long-tail factor for rest-of-season refinement.

• Party restrictions shouldenforce reasonable MMR gaps but still allow friends to play together within limits.

• Recalibration should occur after major gameplay shifts, but use uncertainty variables to dynamically apply the right amount of change.

• Player psychology considerations around progression satisfaction and motivation should blend with the statistical matchmaking principles.

• Regular tuning is essential as exploitative scenarios arise requiring algorithmic patches while preserving integrity.

And there you have it! My perspectives as a gaming data analyst on the intricate world of matchmaking ratings and seasonal resets. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to dig into the stats around our favorite games. Now time to grind some ranks before this reset rolls around again…