Ad serving offers and new game promotions outside the game module with business intelligence based on portfolio of games

• US 9,666,029 B1
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Polamarasetty, Deepak, Lee, Jennifer J., Helmhold, Daniel, Calipes, Jonathan, Yu, Wendy
• Primary Examiner(s): Liddle, Jay Trent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rada, II, Alex F. R. P.
• Application Number:
  US13/953,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

An online gaming system providing dynamic delivery of advertisements to users of an online game. The system may dynamically select advertisement for delivery based on one or more user parameters which characterize the user'"'"'s activity with the online game. The system may comprise one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules. The system may include a game module configured to execute an instance of an online game and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of users in the online game. The system may include a user monitor module configured to monitor user activity parameters. The system may include a potential offer module configured to manage multiple incentive offers which are available for delivery to the users of the online game. The system may include an offer determination module configured to select incentive offers to be delivered to the users of the online game from the multiple incentive offers based on the monitored activity parameters of the users.

Claims

1. An online gaming system for dynamically serving advertisements to users based on user parameters, the system comprising:

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

execute an instance of an online game, and to implement the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of users in the online game;

monitor user activity parameters that characterize one or more of past spending by the users on virtual items, past user interaction with game related tasks, user progress with one or more overall game related objectives, user interest in the game, and past in-game communications including player-to-player communications, such that activity parameters of a first user and activity parameters of a second user are monitored;

manage multiple incentive offers which are available for delivery to the users of the online game, the offers including incentives corresponding to the online game and incentives corresponding to one or more different online games, the offers including a first incentive offer including an incentive corresponding to the online game, and a second incentive offer including an incentive corresponding to a first different online game;

determine a likelihood of activity lapse for individual ones of the users based on the user activity parameters, an activity lapse being a cessation of a user'"'"'s activity in the online game and/or a decrease of at least a threshold amount in the user'"'"'s activity in the online game, such that a first likelihood of activity lapse is determined for the first user and a second likelihood of activity lapse is determined for the second user; and

select incentive offers to be delivered to the users of the online game from the multiple incentive offers based on the likelihood of activity lapse determined for the users, such that the first incentive offer is selected for delivery to the first user based on the first likelihood of activity lapse determined for the first user, and to select the second incentive offer for delivery to the second user based on the second likelihood of activity lapse determined for the second user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions such that:

the user activity parameters include a user spend parameter that characterizes past spending by the users, the user spend parameter for the first user and the user spend parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game,

selection of the first incentive offer for the first user is based on the user spend parameter for the first user and the first likelihood of activity lapse determined for the first user, and

selection of the second incentive offer for the second user is based on the user spend parameter for the second user and a second likelihood of activity lapse determined for the second user.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that user spend parameters comprise one or more of spend velocity parameters, spend frequency parameters, and total spend amount parameters.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that:

the user activity parameters include a user interaction parameter that characterizes past interaction of the users with game related tasks, the user interaction parameter for the first user and the user interaction parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game,

selection of the first incentive offer for the first user is based on the user interaction parameter for the first user, and

selection of the second incentive offer for the second user is based on the user interaction parameter for the second user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that:

the user activity parameters include a user progress parameter that characterizes user progress with one or more overall game related objectives, the user progress parameter for the first user and the user progress parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game,

selection of the first incentive offer for the first user is based on the user progress parameter for the first user, and

selection of the second incentive offer for the second user is based on the user progress parameter for the second user.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that:

the user activity parameters include a user interest parameter that characterizes user interest in the game, the user interest parameter for the first user and the user interest parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game,

selection of the first incentive offer for the first user is based on the user interest parameter for the first user, and

selection of the second incentive offer for the second user is based on the user interest parameter for the second user.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that the user interest parameters are based, at least in part, on the frequency of logging into the game by the users.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that the user interest parameters are based, at least in part, on past user responses to offers including an incentive corresponding to the online game.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the offer determination module is further configured such that:

the user activity parameters include a user communications parameter that characterizes past in-game communications by the users including player-to-player communications, the user communications parameter for the first user and the user communications parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game,

selection of the first incentive offer for the first user is based on the user communications parameter for the first user, and

selection of the second incentive offer for the second user is based on the user communications parameter for the second user.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the potential offer module is further configured such that the offers including incentives corresponding to one or more different online games include offer corresponding to games which the users have played at least once, such that the offer determination module selecting the second offer for delivery to the second user, wherein the second offer includes incentives corresponding to the first different online game, is based at least in part on the second user having played the first different online game at least once.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions such that the offers including incentives corresponding to one or more different online games include offers corresponding to games which the users have not played, such that the second offer includes incentives corresponding to the first different online game and is based at least in part on the second user having never played the first different online game.

12. A method for dynamically serving advertisements to users based on user parameters, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more physical processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of an online game, and to implementing the instance of the online game to facilitate participation of users in the online game;

monitoring user activity parameters that characterize one or more of past spending by the users on virtual items, past user interaction with game related tasks, user progress with one or more overall game related objectives, user interest in the game, and past in-game communications including player-to-player communications, including monitoring activity parameters of a first user and activity parameters of a second user;

managing multiple incentive offers which are available for delivery to the users of the online game, the offers including incentives corresponding to the online game and incentives corresponding to one or more different online games, the offers including a first incentive offer including an incentive corresponding to the online game, and a second incentive offer including an incentive corresponding to a first different online game;

determining a likelihood of activity lapse for individual ones of the users based on the user activity parameters, an activity lapse being a cessation of a user'"'"'s activity in the online game and/or a decrease of at least a threshold amount in the user'"'"'s activity in the online game, such that a first likelihood of activity lapse is determined for the first user and a second likelihood of activity lapse is determined for the second user; and

selecting incentive offers to be delivered to the users of the online game from the multiple incentive offers based on the likelihood of activity lapse determined for the users, including selecting the first incentive offer for delivery to the first user based on the likelihood of activity lapse determined for the first user, and to select the second incentive offer for delivery to the second user based on the second likelihood of activity lapse determined for the second user.

13. The method of claim 12 additionally including:

monitoring a user spend parameter that characterizes past spending by the users, wherein the user spend parameter for the first user and the user spend parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game;

selecting the first incentive offer for the first user based on the user spend parameter for the first user and the first likelihood of activity lapse determined for the first user; and

selecting the second incentive offer for the second user based on the user spend parameter for the second user and a second likelihood of activity lapse determined for the second user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the user spend parameters comprise one or more of spend velocity parameters, spend frequency parameters, and total spend amount parameters.

15. The method of claim 12 additionally including:

monitoring a user interaction parameter that characterizes past interaction of the users with game related tasks, wherein the user interaction parameter for the first user and the user interaction parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game;

selecting the first incentive offer for the first user based on the user interaction parameter for the first user; and

selecting the second incentive offer for the second user based on the user interaction parameter for the second user.

16. The method of claim 12 additionally including:

monitoring a user progress parameter that characterizes user progress with one or more overall game related objectives, wherein the user progress parameter for the first user and the user progress parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game;

selecting the first incentive offer for the first user based on the user progress parameter for the first user, and

selecting the second incentive offer for the second user based on the user progress parameter for the second user.

17. The method of claim 12 additionally including:

monitoring a user interest parameter that characterizes user interest in the game, wherein the user interest parameter for the first user and the user interest parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game;

selecting the first incentive offer for the first user based on the user interest parameter for the first user, and

selecting the second incentive offer for the second user based on the user interest parameter for the second user.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the user interest parameters are based, at least in part, on the frequency of logging into the game by the users.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the user interest parameters are based, at least in part, on past user responses to offers including incentives corresponding to the online game.

20. The method of claim 12 additionally including:

monitoring a user communications parameter that characterizes past in-game communications by the users including player-to-player communications, wherein the user communications parameter for the first user and the user communications parameter for the second user indicating activity of the second user in the online game is more likely to lapse than activity of the first user in the online game;

selecting the first incentive offer for the first user based on the user communications parameter for the first user, and

selecting of the second incentive offer for the second user based on the user communications parameter for the second user.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the offers including incentives corresponding to one or more different online games include offers corresponding to games which the users have played at least once, such that selecting the second offer for delivery to the second user, wherein the second offer includes incentives corresponding to the first different online game, is based at least in part on the second user having played the first different online game at least once.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the offers including incentives corresponding to one or more different online games include offers corresponding to games which the users have not played, such that selecting the second offer for delivery to the second user, wherein the second offer includes incentives corresponding to the first different online game, is based at least in part on the second user having never played the first different online game.