So many replies and everything I see is already mentioned, but here is my take regardless.
8 v 8 is a great format for teams and/or 3 or 4 man (maybe even 8-man?) groups.
Solo queue with groups in 8-man rarely yields a fair match.
The match becomes a momentum game - the team that scores first kills out of the gate is generally the winner. Come backs we see in 12-man don't seem to be likely.
Playing lights becomes a liability for your team.
The lack of additional players on your team and the battlefield reduces the depth/dimension of play. Also restricts tactical options.
In 12-man, it is possible to have a few separate contests between players on different parts of a map. This is not as likely with 8 fewer players in the match.
The maps seem so much larger with fewer players on them - some of them, vastly so.
Matchmaker doesn't work worth a damn in Soup Queue and it sure as hell doesn't work at all in 8 v 8. There are too many instances of Tier 1 player or weight stacking on teams. I have yet to see a balanced match.
Match scores and damage points are far lower than in 12-man. Kind of makes those gift grinds more difficult.
Most matches are far shorter in duration than in 12 v 12.
Even if groups are omitted from 8-man, I still do not like the loss of tactical/player/mech options.
In short, nice test; however, I am not sure what you guys are testing for. I eagerly look forward to the end of 8 v 8 play.
Edited by PCHunter, 19 March 2022 - 12:46 PM.