They Might Be Afraid Of It
That's right, I believe Bungie is afraid of the implementation of what they may see as a volatile system. But that's a bold and blanket statement to throw over something that hasn't been fully explained so lets go into what ranked multiplayer is.
First off, the very reason fans are practically begging for this is because most of the vocal minority, that voices their opinions loud and proud, are tried and true Bungie fans. Most were there from the very beginning as Halo CE helped shape online multiplayer and matchmaking on the console. They were there as Halo 2 continued to innovate and make use of the increased budget. And Halo 3 continued that innovation in many ways, one of which was the introduction of ranked multiplayer.
A player was rewarded with EXP towards a higher rank as long as they left the game with a win, but if they lost, then they lost EXP and possibly lowered their rank. Fans of Halo 2 and 3 still refer to this system as perfect and all they want to see is it reiterated in Bungie's new series, Destiny. Some may look at this as a way for skilled players to boast and pound their chest, but others will argue that this helps create a level playing field. How you ask? Well, right now, multiplayer is a free for all and the only factor bringing players together during matchmaking seems to be proximity, so the people you play with speak the same language. But with a ranked system, that adds a new layer for the matchmaking to use to match players to others at a similar skill.
So, if a system like this can help add some balance to multiplayer while letting others enjoy their bragging rights, what could be wrong with this system? Well, as mentioned, if you lose the entire team loses EXP towards their rank. In other words, if one player has a bad game, the entire party is now punished. This can add tension and may lead to players blaming and singling out the player who might not be playing well. This goes against the extensive efforts Bungie has gone through to create a welcoming atmosphere. Just look at the changes they've made Destiny 1 to 2, players no longer see what others earn, assists are now kills, and even the weapon system seemed to be re-arranged to suite multiplayer.
However, the welcome mat Bungie has been polishing isn't the only thing they're trying to uphold. When Halo 2 and 3 had this system in place it also created a black market within the community. Yes, believe it or not, good players who were able to reach top ranks, chose to use their talents to sell their accounts to they highest bidder. What's even scarier is the fact that people bought these accounts despite how pathetic it might sound to buy a high rank you know you could never earn.
For these reasons, I think Bungie will continue to ignore our plea for ranked matchmaking. They believe that implementing this may damage what they worked so hard to create, a friendly and welcoming multiplayer, for all players. But has their focus on creating a game for everyone sucked out what makes a game special? You could argue that when you try to please everyone you please no one, but Bungie seems to be trying hard to prove that statement wrong.
What do you think? Should ranked matchmaking see a come back through Destiny?
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