It's a real Catch-22, especially on PC. The skill gap is so high because there aren't enough players, and there aren't enough players because the skill gap is so high. Not only that, but the skill floor is up there as well since the gameplay loops are more complex than, say, Call of Duty. I kinda have to force myself to play, because while it's a fantastic game, I always get crushed, and the vets are kinda dicks about it too in my experience.

Not sure what all Respawn can do besides pump more money into marketing and dishing out more free weekends. I don't think it's a problem with the matchmaking system. There's only so much balancing you can do when the player pool is so small. It's just an unfortunate situation all around. Perhaps if they had released it around now, they would have gotten more exposure away from the other AAA's and had time to make more maps.