System and method for providing awards to players of a game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975050-B1
Application number	US-201715688623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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 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 which are associated with sets of probabilities, such that the first virtual container 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 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 set of probabilities associated with an activated virtual container and 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 for 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 for the users associated with the first affiliation, such that one or more of the first benefits is provided for the second user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to adjust 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 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 wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to adjust individual probabilities associated with the individual awards based on the perceived value of the individual awards, such that a first probability associated with a 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 for the users in the game, such that the first potential award provided to the first user provides a first benefit for the first user in the game, and the first potential award provides a second benefit for 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 for 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 for the first user and a second potential in-game benefit for 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 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 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 which are associated with sets of probabilities, such that the first virtual container 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 activation requests from users for the offered container instances of the virtual containers, such

Assignees

• Kabam Inc

Inventors

• Pieron Luc
• Baxter Thomas
• Rull Henry
• Mclellan Sam
• Schultz Stephanie

Classifications

• A63F13/50

  Controlling the output signals based on the game progress · CPC title

• A63F2300/8094

  Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking · CPC title

• A63F13/847

  Cooperative playing, e.g. requiring coordinated actions from several players to achieve a common goal · CPC title

• A63F13/798 Primary

  for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame · CPC title

• A63F13/55

  Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress · CPC title