System and method for providing awards to players of a game

• US 9,744,445 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• 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): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): Clarke, Jr., Robert T
• Application Number:
  US14/278,631
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 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 to 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 one or more user profiles include;

indications of one or more affiliations within the online game comprising a discrete group of the users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play;

such that the profiles of the users 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;

present, through a store interface, offers to sell container instances of virtual containers, the offers including a first offer to sell an instance of a first virtual container at a first associated user cost, the virtual containers being associated with sets of potential awards, such that the first virtual container is associated with a first set of potential awards including a first potential award;

obtain sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers, such that a first set of probabilities is obtained for the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container;

receive activation requests from users for the offered container instances of the virtual containers, such that a first activation request for the first virtual container is received from the first user;

determine, using the obtained set of probabilities for an activated virtual container, responsive to receiving an activation request, an award from the set of potential awards associated with the activated virtual container to provide to an activating user, such that a first award from the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container is determined for distribution to the first user based on the first set of probabilities; and

,

distribute, in response to determining the award to provide to the activating user from the activated virtual container, the award to the activating user and one or more benefits to the users associated with an affiliation of the activating user, such that 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 is distributed to the first user, and, responsive to the first award being distributed to the first user, one or more first benefits are provided to the users associated with the first affiliation, such that one or more of the first benefits are provided to the second user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein obtaining the sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers comprises adjusting the probabilities of the sets of probabilities based on past distributions of the awards to the users, such that a probability associated with the first award is adjusted based on the past distributions of the first award.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein individual awards of the sets of potential awards have an associated perceived value within the game, and obtaining the sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers comprises adjusting individual probabilities associated with the individual awards based on the perceived value of the individual awards, such that a first probability associated with the first potential award is adjusted based on a first perceived value of the first potential award in the game.

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

5. 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 the members of the first affiliation have received one or more of the first benefits, 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 one or more of the first benefits.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the potential awards provide one or more of the benefits to the users in the game, such that the first potential award provided to the first user provides a first benefit to the first user in the game, and the first potential award provides a second benefit to the second user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first benefit provided by the first potential award to the first user has a perceived value in the game greater than the second benefit provided to the second user.

8. 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 game of the offers to sell container instances of virtual containers, wherein the notifications include an indication of a one or more potential benefits provided by the sets of potential awards, such that the first user receives a first notification of a first offer to provide the first virtual container having the first set of potential awards, wherein the first notification includes an indication of a first potential in-game benefit to the first user and a second potential in-game benefit to the second user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine the first associated user cost of the first offer presented to the first user based on an amount of virtual currency purchased by the first user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to determine the first associated user cost of the first offer presented to the first user of the game based on a ranking of the first user relative to other users having an indication of being associated with the first affiliation.

11. A method for providing awards to 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 user profiles associated with the users, wherein the one or more user profiles include;

indications of one or more affiliations within the online game comprising a discrete group of the users with a relationship having a functional significance within the online game that has an impact on game play;

such that the profiles of the users 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;

presenting, through a store interface, offers to sell container instances of virtual containers, the offers including a first offer to sell an instance of a first virtual container at a first associated user cost, the virtual containers being associated with sets of potential awards, such that the first virtual container is associated with a first set of potential awards including a first potential award;

obtaining sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers, such that a first set of probabilities is obtained for the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container;

receiving activation requests from users for the offered container instances of the virtual containers, such that a first activation request for the first virtual container is received from the first user;

determining, using the obtained set of probabilities for an activated virtual container, responsive to receiving an activation request, an award from the set of potential awards associated with the activated virtual container to provide to an activating user, such that a first award from the first set of potential awards of the first virtual container is determined for distribution to the first user based on the first set of probabilities; and

,

distributing, in response to determining the award to provide to the activating user from the activated virtual container, the award to the activating user, such that, 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 is distributed to the first user, and, in response to the first award being distributed to the first user, one or more first benefits are provided to the users associated with the first affiliation, such that the second user is provided one or more of the first benefits.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers comprises adjusting the probabilities of the sets of probabilities based on past distributions of the awards to the users, such that a probability associated with the first award is adjusted based on the past distributions of the first award.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein individual awards of the sets of potential awards have an associated perceived value within the game, and obtaining the sets of probabilities associated with the sets of potential awards of the virtual containers comprises adjusting individual probabilities associated with the individual awards based on the perceived value of the individual awards, such that a first probability associated with the first potential award is adjusted based on a first perceived value of the first potential award in the game.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first perceived value of the first potential award in the game is based on an abundance of the first potential award in the game.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a notification to members of the first affiliation indicating that the first user has activated the first virtual container and the members of the first affiliation have received one or more of the first benefits, 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 one or more of the first benefits.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the potential awards provide one or more of the benefits to the users in the game, such that the first potential award provided to the first user provides a first benefit to the first user in the game, and the first potential award provides a second benefit to the second user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first benefit provided by the first potential award to the first user has a perceived value in the game greater than the second benefit provided to the second user.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing notifications to the users of the game of the offers to sell container instances of virtual containers, wherein the notifications include an indication of one or more potential benefits provided by the sets of potential awards, such that the first user receives a first notification of a first offer to provide the first virtual container having the first set of potential awards, wherein the first notification includes an indication of a first potential in-game benefit to the first user and a second potential in-game benefit to the second user.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first associated user cost of the first offer presented to the first user is determined based on an amount of virtual currency purchased by the first user.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first associated user cost of the first offer presented to the first user of the game is determined based on a ranking of the first user relative to other users having an indication of being associated with the first affiliation.