Matchmaking – Patent Arcade

Feb

2021

U.S. Patent No. 10,610,786: Multiplayer video game matchmaking optimization

Issued April 7, 2020 to Electronic Arts Inc.
Priority Date: March 8, 2016

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,610,786 (the ’786 Patent) relates to optimizing matchmaking in a multiplayer video game through analysis of prior game history data from players wishing to play an instance of a video game. The ’786 Patent details a method of selecting users for a match from a queue of players waiting to be placed. The selection criteria may include play style, skill level, character selection history, role history, length of time spent in the queue, geographic location, and predicted retention rate, among others. The predicted retention rate is used to predict how long each user will continue to play the video game, and if the predicted retention rate fails to meet the predetermined retention threshold, then players may be replaced with others from the queue. This method may be used to create a match plan comprising multiple teams.

Abstract:
Embodiments of systems presented herein may identify users to include in a match plan. A parameter model may be generated to predict the retention time of a set of users. A queue of potential users, a set of teammates, and/or opponents may be selected from a queue of waiting users. User information for the set of teammates and/or opponents may be provided to the parameter model to generate a predicted retention time. The set of teammates and/or opponents may be approved if the predicted retention time meets a predetermined threshold. Advantageously, by creating a match plan based on retention rates, the engagement and/or retention level for a number of users may be improved compared to existing multiplayer matching systems.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: as implemented by an interactive computing system configured with specific computer-executable instructions, generating a match plan by at least selecting a plurality of users from a queue of users waiting to play an instance of a video game, wherein a first user and a second user of the plurality of users are designated as a user pair to be selected to play together in an instance of the video game; for each user from the plurality of users, accessing user interaction data associated with the user’s interaction with the video game; determining a predicted retention value for the match plan based at least in part on the user interaction data for each user from the plurality of users, the predicted retention value associated with a predicted amount of time that a set of users included in the match plan will play the video game; determining that the predicted retention value of the match plan does not satisfy a match plan retention threshold; and generating an updated match plan by substituting at least one user from the plurality of users with another user from the queue of users while maintaining the first user and the second user as a user pair to be selected to play together in an instance of the video game.

Jun

2020

U.S. Patent no. 10,322,351: Matchmaking system and method for multiplayer video games

Issued June 18, 2019 to Activision Publishing, Inc.
Priority Date July 3, 2014

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,322,351 (the ‘351 Patent) relates to a matchmaking system for multiplayer video games. The ‘351 Patent details a method that optimizes the matchmaking process. Multiplayer games have become increasingly popular over time. Systems have been created that will automatically group players together into groups for multiplayer games. These systems are normally hard-coded and cannot be dynamically adjusted, such as a system only focusing on player skill lever. This may mean that a player never is matched with someone of a higher skill and similarly delays in matchmaking and creation of groups can occur because of these strict parameters the matchmaking system must satisfy. The invention instead analyzes other information, such as historical player data, to better facilitate an optimal mix of players and styles. The system constantly adjusts itself to maintain a high quality of gameplay and player behavior. The system calculates a match score based on the different criteria available to it and then uses this score to create more optimal matches. If a player is performing poorly then the scoring engine will adjust the matches for that player to improve that player’s performance. These improved matchmaking systems could increase the longevity and enjoyment player’s receive from a video game.

Abstract:
A matchmaking system and method is provided that facilitates optimization of player matches for multiplayer video games. The system may provide a generalized framework for matchmaking using historical player data and analytics. The framework may facilitate automatic determinations of an optimal mix of players and styles to produce the most satisfying user experiences. The system may dynamically update analytical processes based on statistical or otherwise observed data related to gameplay at any given time. In this manner, the system may continually tune the matchmaking process based on observations of player behavior, gameplay quality, and/or other information.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A computer implemented method of matchmaking players for gameplay sessions, the method being implemented in a host computer having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the host computer to perform the method, wherein said host computer is in data communication with a plurality of computing devices and wherein each of said plurality of computing devices is configured to interact with an instance of a multiplayer video game, the method comprising: identifying, by the host computer, a potential match of at least a first player and a second player to be placed in a gameplay session to play said multiplayer video game; obtaining, by the host computer, a plurality of match variables used to assess the potential match, the plurality of match variables including at least a first match variable; obtaining, by the host computer, a plurality of coefficients used to provide weights to corresponding ones of the plurality of match variables, the plurality of coefficients including at least a first coefficient corresponding to the first match variable, wherein the first coefficient comprises a first default value; changing the first default value to a first tuned value; generating, by the host computer, a match score for the potential match based on the first match variable and the first coefficient having the first tuned value; determining, by the host computer, whether the first player and the second player should be placed in the gameplay session based a comparison of the match score to an adjusted threshold match score, wherein the adjusted threshold match score is generated by obtaining, using the host computer, at least a first wait time that indicates an amount of time that the first player has been waiting to be matched, adjusting, using the host computer, a threshold match score based on the first wait time, and comparing, by the host computer, the match score to the adjusted threshold match score; and causing, by the host computer, the first player and the second player to be placed in the gameplay session responsive to a determination that the first player and the second player should be placed in the gameplay session.

Apr

2020

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,327: Multiplayer video game matchmaking system and methods

Issued May 14, 2019 to Electronic Arts Inc.
Priority Date October 21, 2016

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,286,327 (the ‘327 Patent) relates to the multiplayer experience in video games. Video games that provide the user with a better multiplayer experience are more likely to maintain a higher number of users and have increased engagement time. The ‘327 Patent describes a system where a computer selects a plurality of the users and arrangers then to form pool to match together to plan an instance of a video game. Connected graphs of users are created and the computer analyzes data to create a grouping of these users. Playable instances of the game correspond to these user graphs to try to create a better matchmaking experience.

Abstract:
Embodiments of systems presented herein may identify users to play a multiplayer video game together using a mapping system and machine learning algorithms to create sets of matchmaking plans for the multiplayer video game that increases player or user retention. Embodiments of systems presented herein can determine the predicted churn rate, or conversely retention rate, of a user waiting to play a video game if the user is matched with one or more additional users in a multiplayer instance of the video game.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: as implemented by an interactive computing system configured with specific computer-executable instructions, selecting a plurality of users from a pool of users, the pool of users available for selection to play an instance of a video game, wherein at least a first portion of the instance of the video game executes on a user computing device of at least one user from the plurality of users and a second portion of the instance of the video game executes on the interactive computing system; creating a connected graph comprising a plurality of vertexes and a plurality of edges, wherein each vertex is connected by at least one edge from the plurality of edges and wherein each vertex represents a different user from the plurality of users such that each user from the plurality of users is paired within the connected graph with at least one other user from the plurality of users; accessing user interaction data for each user of the plurality of users, the user interaction data corresponding to the user’s interaction with the video game, wherein the user interaction data for the user is selected from data that is more recent than a particular time threshold; for each edge in the connected graph, assigning a weight to the edge based at least in part on a first churn risk of a first user corresponding to a first node of the edge and a second churn risk of a second user corresponding to a second node of the edge, wherein the first churn risk is based at least in part on the user interaction data for the first user and the second churn risk is based at least in part on the user interaction data for the second user; selecting a set of edges from the connected graph to obtain a set of selected edges based at least in part on the weights assigned to each edge within the connected graph, wherein each vertex in the connected graph is connected to at least one edge within the set of selected edges; and initiating a playable instance of the video game using at least a pair of users corresponding to vertexes of one or more edges included in the set of selected edges.

Mar

2020

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,326: Soft reservation system and method for multiplayer video games

Issued May 14, 2019, to Activision Publishing, Inc.
Priority Date July 3, 2014

Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,286,326 (the ‘326 Patent) relates to multiplayer video game sessions. This invention addresses the drawbacks related to matchmaking to help optimize the matching of players in multiplayer games. The system analyzes historical player data and determines an optimal mix of players based on players’ styles. The system can then continually adjust the matchmaking to preserve a balanced match based on observations relating to player behavior, gameplay quality, and other information. The system may identify these attributes and computer them in a scoring engine to create potential matches of players based on optimal criteria. This would lead to an improvement over old systems of matchmaking that are either entirely manual in nature where players add friends to a group, or where the design is too static and is unable to compute changing variables to maintain match quality.

Abstract:
A soft reservation system and method is provided facilitates an unrequested reservation of a gameplay session in multiplayer video games. A soft reservation may include a match between two or more players for one or more subsequent gameplay sessions that are reserved for the players. The system may, for instance, anticipate an interest by players in a gameplay session and make a soft reservation for the players, who may not have explicitly requested the reservation, to play in the gameplay session. A soft reservation may be made for a player based on a match score, a game profile, a player profile, and/or other information.

Illustrative Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method of reserving gameplay sessions for players in a multiplayer video game, the method being implemented by a host computer having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the host computer to perform the method, wherein said host computer is in data communication with a plurality of computing devices and wherein each of said plurality of computing devices is configured to interact with an instance of the multiplayer video game, the method comprising: using a scoring engine in the host computer to identify a first player for which an unrequested reservation to play in a gameplay session of the multiplayer game is to be made, wherein said unrequested reservation is a reservation to play in the gameplay session of the multiplayer game made before the first player expresses an interest in playing in said gameplay session; using at least one of the scoring engine or an analytics and feedback engine coupled with the scoring engine in the host computer to determine first availability information associated with the first player, wherein the first availability information indicates an estimated time at which the first player will be available to play in the gameplay session; using at least one of the scoring engine or the analytics and feedback engine in the host computer to identify a second player for inclusion in the gameplay session based on a potential match of the first player and the second player; and using a pipelining engine configured to access data indicative of at least one of the match score of the first player and the second player, a game profile of the first player, a profile of the first player, a game progression of the first player, a game mode of interest to the first player, a log in time of the first player, or a log in time of preferred players of the first player; wherein the pipelining engine is a modular programmatic component, executed by the host computer, and wherein the pipelining engine is further configured to generate the unrequested reservation, within the multiplayer video game, for the first player to play in the gameplay session with the second player based on the first availability and said data.

U.S. Patent No. 10,610,786: Multiplayer video game matchmaking optimization

U.S. Patent No. 10,610,786: Multiplayer video game matchmaking optimization

U.S. Patent no. 10,322,351: Matchmaking system and method for multiplayer video games

U.S. Patent no. 10,322,351: Matchmaking system and method for multiplayer video games

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,327: Multiplayer video game matchmaking system and methods

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,327: Multiplayer video game matchmaking system and methods

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,326: Soft reservation system and method for multiplayer video games

U.S. Patent no. 10,286,326: Soft reservation system and method for multiplayer video games

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