System and method for providing awards to players of a game

• US 10,456,689 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Pieron, Luc, Baxter, Thomas, Rull, Henry, McLellan, Sam, Schultz, Stephanie
• Primary Examiner(s): Clarke, Jr., Robert T
• Application Number:
  US15/981,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20180256986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/847 Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/142 with pay-out or rewarding with a prize
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking

Abstract

One aspect of the disclosure relates to a multi-prize mystery box that provides an award to users who activate the mystery boxes and benefits to members of affiliations associated with the activating users. Users of an association may be provided notifications informing the users that the activating user has provided them with a benefit, increasing recognition of the activating user in the game.

Claims

1. A system for providing awards for players of an online game, the system comprising:

one or more physical computer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

facilitate participation by multiple users in the online game through client computing platforms associated with the users;

manage user profiles associated with the users, wherein the user profiles include indications of one or more affiliations within the online game, wherein individual affiliations include a discrete group of the users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play, wherein the user profiles include a first user profile for a first user having an indication that the first user is associated with a first affiliation and a second user profile for a second user having an indication that the second user is associated with the first affiliation, wherein the first user profile is associated with a first user inventory of virtual items that are of use in the online game, wherein the second user profile is associated with a second user inventory of virtual items that are of use in the online game, wherein the first user inventory includes an instance of a first virtual container that is associated with a first set of potential awards including a first potential award, the first set of potential awards being associated with a first set of probabilities;

receive a first activation request for the first virtual container from the first user;

determine, responsive to receiving the first activation request, a first award from the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container for distribution to the first user based on the first set of probabilities; and

distribute, in response to determining the first award from the first virtual container activated by the first user to be distributed to the first user, the first award to the first user, and distribute one or more first benefits to one or more of the users associated with the first affiliation, such that one or more of the first benefits are distributed to the second user;

wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to adjust a probability associated with the first award based on past distributions of the first award.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a first probability associated with the first potential award is adjusted based on a first perceived value associated with the first potential award in the online game.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first perceived value of the first potential award in the online game is based on an abundance of the first potential award in the online game.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide a notification to members of the first affiliation indicating that the first user has activated the first virtual container and that the one or more first benefits have been distributed to the one or more of the users associated with the first affiliation, such that the second user is provided the notification having an indication that the first user has activated the first virtual container causing the second user to receive the one or more first benefits.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the potential awards provide one or more benefits for the users in the online game, such that, responsive to receiving the first activation request, a first benefit is distributed to the first user in the online game, and a second benefit is distributed to the second user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first benefit has a first perceived value in the online game that is greater than a second perceived value of the second benefit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to provide notifications to the users of the online game regarding offers to purchase container instances of virtual containers associated with sets of potential awards, wherein the notifications include an indication of one or more potential benefits provided by the sets of potential awards.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine associated user costs of the offers based on amounts of virtual currency purchased by the users.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine associated user costs of the offers based on rankings of the users relative to other users having an indication of being associated with the first affiliation.

10. A method for providing awards for players of an online game, the method to be performed on one or more physical computer processors, the method comprising:

facilitating participation by multiple users in the online game through client computing platforms associated with the users;

managing one or more user profiles associated with the users, wherein the one or more user profiles include indications of one or more affiliations within the online game, wherein individual affiliations include a discrete group of the users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play, wherein the user profiles include a first user profile for a first user having an indication that the first user is associated with a first affiliation and a second user profile for a second user having an indication that the second user is associated with the first affiliation, wherein the first user profile is associated with a first user inventory of virtual items that are of use in the online game, wherein the second user profile is associated with a second user inventory of virtual items that are of use in the online game, wherein the first user inventory includes an instance of a first virtual container that is associated with a first set of potential awards including a first potential award, the first set of potential awards being associated with a first set of probabilities;

receiving a first activation request for the first virtual container from the first user;

determining, responsive to receiving the first activation request, a first award from the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container for distribution to the first user based on the first set of probabilities; and

distributing, in response to determining the first award from the first virtual container activated by the first user to be distributed to the first user, the first award to the first user, and distribute one or more first benefits to one or more of the users associated with the first affiliation, such that one or more of the first benefits are distributed to the second user; and

adjusting a probability associated with the first award based on the past distributions of the first award.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a first probability associated with the first potential award is adjusted based on a first perceived value associated with the first potential award in the online game.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first perceived value of the first potential award in the online game is based on an abundance of the first potential award in the online game.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a notification to members of the first affiliation indicating that the first user has activated the first virtual container and that the one or more first benefits have been distributed to the one or more of the users associated with the first affiliation, such that the second user is provided the notification having an indication that the first user has activated the first virtual container causing the second user to receive the one or more first benefits.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the potential awards provide one or more benefits for the users in the online game, such that, responsive to receiving the first activation request, a first benefit is distributed to the first user in the online game, and a second benefit is distributed to the second user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first benefit has a first perceived value in the online game that is greater than a second perceived value of the second benefit.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing notifications to users of the online game regarding offers to purchase container instances of virtual containers associated with sets of potential awards, wherein the notifications include an indication of the one or more potential benefits provided by the sets of potential awards.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining associated user costs of the offers based on amounts of virtual currency purchased by the users.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining associated user costs of the offers based on rankings of the users relative to other users having an indication of being associated with the first affiliation.