Online tournaments are increasingly a focus as gaming companies shift away from in-person events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Online tournaments may not have the energy of an in-person event, but they're much more accessible. It's no surprise then that some publishers are brainstorming ways to enhance that experience. Such is the case for Activision, which recently renewed a patent concepting an online esports tournament that rewards players with real-money prizes.
The patent in question is named "Systems and methods for creating and maintaining real money tournaments for video game" and it was originally published on April 20, 2017. The concept itself is surprisingly simple. It describes a player being invited to a match and evaluated to ensure it meets certain requirements for eligibility. If the player is both eligible for the price based on their account characteristics and wins the in-game match then they receive a pre-determined prize.
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Another example cited later in the patent explains how the eligibility requirements work in more detail. In this example, the patent explains that a contest may only be open for players within California who are over 18 years of age. Contestants who meet these requirements will have the opportunity to earn either real money or packaged goods. Alternatively, prizes are also available to spectators who could join the match and watch. These eligible spectators would receive a different prize, in this case DLC.
Activision's patent goes into fine detail about establishing eligibility requirements for a game's matchmaking and prizes. That's explained as due to the various laws and tax rules that will be in place and how they differentiate between states and countries. A game sold in the USA will have to account for 50 different states and other territories, each with different rules regarding how prizes can be given. The patent is for an online system that accounts for those challenges.
Clearly, Activision's patent has yet to be put to use. While online matchmaking systems are widespread in online games anymore, tournament structures and prize systems are still incredibly rare. And automated real-money prizes granted through normal game matchmaking remains nonexistent in video games. It does exist, though. Online gambling and specifically online poker games do offer a similar service.
Perhaps Activision will never move forward with offering real-money prizes through matchmaking systems. Just creating an automated tournament feature for a game would be a challenge. But, at the very least, Activision is considering the possibility. Perhaps esports players can persuade Activision one way or the other on the matter.
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Source: USPTO