U.S. Patent No. 10,376,793: Videogame system and method that enables characters to earn virtual fans by completing secondary objectives

Issued August 13, 2019, to Activision Publishing Inc.
Filed: August 22, 2017 (claiming priority to February 18, 2010)

Overview:

U.S. Patent No. 10,376,793 (the ‘793 patent) relates to a game where players can earn fans through secondary events. The ‘793 patent details a system providing a video game to one or more users, using a primary event staging module. Staging an event involves rendering views of the character engaging in a game event and determining whether or not to invite the character to participate in the event. There is a fan objective staging module which stages secondary fan objectives performable during the primary event, which a character can complete to earn virtual fans. Staging a fan objective involves inserting an objective icon which provides guidance for performance of the fan objective through a position, shape, symbol, or color. The fans earned from the objective add to a character’s total fanbase.

A fan objective trigger module triggers activation of fan objectives in response to one or more triggers executed by a character during an event. A fan objective evaluation module monitors the performance of one or more active fan objectives, and when an objective is completed the module allocates a number of fans earned by the character based on the performance. The primary event staging module determines whether or not to invite a character to an event based on the number of virtual fans in the character’s fanbase.

The ‘793 patent may be familiar as implemented in the racing game Blur, allowing different cars to be unlocked with more fans and functioning as a ranking system in multiplayer.

Abstract:

A videogame may be provided to one or more users in which characters controlled by users earn fans that impact the videogame similarly to fans in real life. For example, a character may earn virtual currency, be invited to participate in events and/or teams, obtain sponsorships, and/or experience other impacts associated with fanbase size. The videogame may include one or more primary objectives presented to the user. The performance of the primary objectives by the user may impact the progression of a character being controlled by the user through the videogame. The videogame may further include provide one or more fan objectives within the game which can be performed by the character being controlled by the user to earn fans to be included within a fanbase associated with the character in the game

Illustrative Claim:

1. A system configured to provide a videogame to one or more users, the system comprising: one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising: a primary event staging module configured to stage an event in which a character under control of a controller communicatively linked with the one or more processors participates, wherein staging the event comprises rendering views of the character engaging in the event; and determining whether or not to invite the character to participate in the event; and a fan objective staging module configured to stage a plurality of fan objectives, wherein fan objectives are secondary objectives performable during the event by the character to earn virtual fans for a virtual fanbase of the character, wherein staging a fan objective comprises inserting an objective icon into views of the event and associating the fan objective with the objective icon and wherein the objective icon comprises a visual indicator configured to provide guidance for the performance of the fan objective based on at least one of a position, a shape, a symbology, or a color of the objective icon; a fan objective trigger module configured to trigger activation of fan objectives responsive to performance of one or more triggers executed by the character during the event; and a fan objective evaluation module configured to monitor performance of one or more active fan objectives by the character, and upon completion of a fan objective by the character, to allocate a number of fans earned by the character by virtue of the completed fan objective based on the performance of the character in completing the fan objective; and wherein the primary event staging module is further configured to determine whether or not to invite the character to participate in the event based on the number of virtual fans in the fanbase of the character.