U.S. Patent No. 10,482,486: Detached economy in online game
Issued November 19, 2019 to Zynga Inc.
Priority Date: August 2, 2011
Summary:
U.S. Patent No. 10,482,486 (the ’486 Patent) relates to games with detached economies and separate currencies that may have limited interaction between them with one game serving as an extension for the other. The ’486 Patent details a method of one game’s currency being able to be used on a limited basis to gain some advancement in a second, extension game with a separate currency. Some currency or other items from the extension game may be able to be used to gain some advancement in the first game. For example, in Zynga’s FrontierVille, players may use their currency from their homestead to purchase a limited quantity and variety of in-game items in Zynga’s Pioneer Trail (which is an extension of FrontierVille and uses a different currency) to prepare their wagon in Pioneer Trail for an expedition. The player may receive rewards from their expedition in Pioneer Trail that can be transferred to their homestead in FrontierVille.
Abstract:
Methods, systems, and computer programs for generating revenue in an online game are presented. One method includes an operation for executing a first video game having a first currency enabling a user to achieve advancement in the first video game. The method also includes an operation for executing a second video game that is an autonomous game module within the first video game, the second video game enables the user to select one or more assets from the first video game for use in the second video game but limits the number of assets such that the one or more assets are insufficient to complete the second video game. The method further includes operations for detecting completion of the second video game and selecting one or more reward assets for use in the first video game and for transferring the one or more reward assets to the first video game for the user to use to achieve the advancement in the first video game.
Illustrative Claim:
1. A method, comprising: executing, at a server, a first video game for play by a user of a client device, the first video game having a first currency enabling the user to achieve advancement in the first video game; executing, at the server, a second video game that is an autonomous game module within the first video game, the second video game enables the user to select one or more assets from the first video game for use in the second video game, the second video game limiting a number of assets the user is able to select such that when selected, the one or more assets are insufficient to complete the second video game, wherein the second video game has a second currency enabling the user to achieve advancement in the second video game, and wherein the first currency is prevented from enabling the user to achieve the advancement in the second video game and the second currency is prevented from enabling the user to achieve the advancement in the first video game; detecting, at the server, completion of the second video game by the user and selecting one or more reward assets for use in the first video game, the one or more reward assets are different from the one or more assets selected from the first video game for use in the second video game; and transferring the one or more reward assets to the first video game for the user to use to achieve the advancement in the first video game.