The PS4 and PS5 port of Call of Duty: Black Ops II has moved all of its multiplayer matches onto dedicated servers, Dexerto reported, addressing one of the most common complaints players have raised since the port launched in July.
With dedicated servers, multiplayer matches are hosted on Activision's own infrastructure rather than on one player's connection. Everyone in a lobby connects to the same server instead of to a designated host, which should make connection quality more consistent across a match. It also removes host migration, the process that previously kept a match running when the hosting player left.
The change rolled out gradually over several days before the developers confirmed that the migration was complete.
Dedicated servers began rolling out over the past several days, and 100% of MP matches have now been migrated to dedicated servers with today's update.
The developers said the switch should result in "improved match stability and security."
Other changes in the update
The same update added improved support for joining friends and fixed issues with Custom Emblems, the user interface and the multiplayer heatmap globe.
Dexerto reported that players responded positively in replies to the announcement. One reply read, "This is literally what everyone had been wanting; finally Call of Duty is doing the right thing." Another wrote that they had "played my usual 1-2 hours without knowing what the update addressed," adding that "the difference is huge." Dexerto described the Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 ports as a hit, while noting that they have also faced other problems, including hackers boosting their accounts.