System and method for uniting user accounts across different platforms

• US 9,569,801 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kabam (Netmarble Corporation)
• Inventors: Xu, Ziqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US13/604,485
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Individual users may log into the same online game from multiple different social networking platforms. The disclosed technology provides a way to unite users'"'"' accounts such that users that have logged into the online game from different social networking platforms can have their progress in the online game preserved regardless of which social networking platforms the user logged in from. Business intelligence about differences in the user'"'"'s value when logging in from the different social networking platforms can be determined and incentivizing actions can be performed on the social networking platforms based on the business intelligence.

Claims

1. A system for uniting a user account across a first online platform and a second online platform for an online game, the system comprising:

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

manage user accounts associated with individual users, the user accounts including a first user account associated with a first user, wherein the first user account comprises;

a global user identifier configured to represent the first user across the first and second online platforms and in the online game;

a first network abstraction identifier configured to represent the first user within the first online platform, the first network abstraction identifier including at least a network identifier portion that reflects the first online platform and is user agnostic, and a network user identifier portion that represents the first user within the first online platform;

a second network abstraction identifier configured to represent the first user within the second online platform, the second network abstraction identifier including at least a network identifier portion that reflects the second online platform and is user agnostic, and a network user identifier portion that represents the first user within the second online platform, the network user identifier portion of the second network abstraction identifier being different than the network user identifier portion of the first network abstraction identifier; and

a first game user identifier configured to represent the first user within the online game, the first game user identifier including at least a game identifier portion that represents the online game and is online platform agnostic, and an in-game user identifier portion that represents the first user within the online game when playing via the first online platform;

identify, responsive to the first user requesting to play the online game via the first online platform, the first user using the global user identifier and the first network abstraction identifier; and

identify, responsive to the first user requesting to play the online game via the second online platform, the first user using the global identifier and the second network abstraction identifier as the same user that played the online game via the first online platform but accessing the online game through the second online platform rather than the first online platform,

wherein the first online platform and the second online platform are different online platforms and the first user'"'"'s activity in the online game session played via the first online platform is reflected in the online game session played on the second online platform.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to instantiate a virtual space of the online game, wherein the state of the virtual space is dependent on the last online game session played by the first user, regardless of whether the online game was played on the first online platform or the second online platform.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to separately analyze and/or compare the first user'"'"'s activity within the online game session via the first online platform from the first user'"'"'s activity within the online game session via the second online platform and assign values to that activity based on a metric.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to determine, based on the user'"'"'s activity within the online game session from the first online platform and the second online networking platform, which online platform of the first and second online platforms is more valuable based on metrics comprising one or more of:

revenue generated, time the user is logged in via that online platform, time the user spent playing the online game via that online platform, virtual currency bought or spent by the user via that online platform, or number of contacts the user has on that online platform.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to execute an instance of a virtual space in which the online game is played, such that responsive to the first user being logged into the online game, (i) the instance of the virtual space is implemented to determine view information that defines a view of the virtual space for presentation to the first user, and (ii) the view information is transmitted to a client computing platform associated with the first user to facilitate presentation of the view of the virtual space to the first user on the client computing platform.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to aggregate information for the individual users that is received from the first and second online platforms such that information about the first user received from the first online platform and the second online platform is aggregated for the first user to represent the first user across both the first online platform and the second online platform.

7. A computer-implemented method of uniting user accounts across a first online platform and a second online platform for an online game, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

retrieving a global user identifier configured to represent a first user in response to receiving a request from the first user to play the online game via the first online platform;

storing a game identifier representing the first user'"'"'s play of the online game via the first online platform, the game user identifier including at least a game identifier portion that represents the online game and is online platform agnostic, and an in-game user identifier portion that represents the first user within the online game when playing via the first online platform;

storing a first network abstraction identifier representing the first user being a member of the first online platform such that responsive to a request by the first user to play the online game via a second online platform, the first user is identified as the same user that played the online game via the first online platform, wherein the first network abstraction identifier includes at least a network identifier portion that reflects the first online platform and is user agnostic, and a network user identifier portion that represents the first user within the first online platform;

storing a second network abstraction identifier representing the first user being a member of a second online platform such that responsive to a request by the first user to play the online game via the second online platform, the first user is identified as the same user that played the online game via the first online platform but accessing the online game through the second online platform rather than the first online platform, wherein the second network abstraction identifier includes at least a network identifier portion that reflects the second online platform and is user agnostic, and a network user identifier portion that represents the first user within the second online platform, the network user identifier portion of the second network abstraction identifier being different than the network user identifier portion of the first network abstraction identifier;

wherein the first online platform and the second online platform are different online platforms and the first user'"'"'s activity in the online game session played via the first online platform is reflected in the online game session played on the second online platform.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising instantiating a virtual space of the online game, wherein the state of the virtual space is dependent on the last online game session played by the first user, regardless of whether the online game was played on the first online platform or the second online platform.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to the first user being logged into the online game, implementing the instantiated virtual space to determine view information that defines a view of the virtual space for presentation to the first user; and

transmitting the view information to a client computing platform associated with the first user to facilitate presentation of the view of the virtual space to the first user on the client computing platform.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising differentiating the first user'"'"'s activity within the online game session via the first online platform from the first user'"'"'s activity within the online game session via the second online platform.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining, based on the first user'"'"'s activity within the online game session via the first online platform and the second online platform, which online platform of the first and second online platforms is more valuable based on metrics comprising one or more of:

revenue generated, time the user is logged in via that online platform, time the user spent playing the online game via that online platform, virtual currency bought or spent by the user via that online platform, or number of contacts the user has on that online platform.