Service-triggered game events

1. A method of managing game data of a video game, at a game service computing machine, the method comprising:

prior to release of the video game for execution on a user gaming machine, defining initial reward criteria for awarding a reward to a user;

receiving, from the user gaming machine via a computer network, game data of the video game as the video game is being executed on the user gaming machine;

computer-generating a game statistic for the video game based on the game data;

sending, via the computer network, the game statistic to the video game and other subscribers having a subscription to the game statistic;

if the game statistic meets the initial reward criteria, awarding the reward to the user;

sending, via the computer network, to the video game, a reward notification message indicating that the user has earned the reward based on the initial reward criteria;

after release of the video game for execution on the user gaming machine, receiving, via the computer network, a command from a developer computing machine different than the user gaming machine to modify the initial reward criteria to define updated reward criteria;

if the game statistic meets the updated reward criteria, awarding the reward to the user; and

sending, via the computer network, to the video game, a reward notification message indicating that the user has earned the reward based on the updated reward criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, via a storage machine of the game service computing machine, archived game data generated for the user during previous game play of the video game;

generating the game statistic based on the archived game data;

if the game statistic generated from the archived game data meets the updated reward criteria, awarding the reward to the user; and

sending, via the computer network, to the video game, the reward notification message indicating that the user has earned the reward.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the game data includes information associated with a game event and the game data is sent to the game service computing machine substantially in real time in response to occurrence of the game event.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the other subscribers include a companion application.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the companion application is executed on the user gaming machine.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the companion application is executed on a companion computing machine that is different than the user gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

establishing a persistent connection with the video game and the other subscribers over the computer network, and wherein the game statistic is sent to the video game and the other subscribers via the persistent connection.

8. A method of managing game data of a video game, at a game service computing machine, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user gaming machine via a computer network, game data of the video game as the video game is being executed on the user gaming machine;

computer-generating a plurality of different game statistics corresponding to different aspects of the video game based on the game data, wherein each different game statistic of the plurality of different game statistics has a different subscription;

receiving, via the computer network on behalf of the video game, a subscription to a first set of game statistics selected from the plurality of different game statistics;

receiving, via the computer network on behalf of a companion application executing on the user gaming machine, a subscription to a second set of game statistics selected from the plurality of different game statistics and different from the first set;

sending, via the computer network, the first set of game statistics to the video game; and

sending, via the computer network, the second set of game statistics to the companion application.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

for each different game statistic, if that different game statistic meets reward criteria defined at the game service computing machine, awarding a reward to a user; and

sending, via the computer network, to the video game, a reward notification message indicating that the user has earned the reward.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

establishing a persistent connection over the computer network with the user gaming machine, and wherein the first and second sets of game statistic are received from the game service computing machine via the persistent connection.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the game data includes information associated with one or more game events and the game data is sent to the game service computing machine substantially in real time in response to occurrence of the one or more game events.

12. A method of receiving game data of a video game, at a user gaming machine, the method comprising:

during execution of a video game on the user gaming machine, sending, via a computer network, game data for the video game to a game service computing machine;

subscribing, on behalf of the video game, to a first set of game statistics selected from a plurality of different game statistics for the video game and corresponding to different aspects of the video game, the plurality of different game statistics being generated by the game service computing machine based on the game data;

subscribing, on behalf of a companion application, to a second set of game statistics selected from the plurality of different game statistics and different from the first set;

receiving, via the computer network, the first set and the second set of different game statistics from the game service computing machine based on the game service computing machine generating the plurality of different game statistics;

executing the video game on the user gaming machine using the first set of game statistics; and

during execution of the video game on the user gaming machine, executing the companion application on the user gaming machine using the second set of game statistics.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

establishing, via the computer network, a persistent connection with the game service computing machine, and receiving, via the computer network, the first and second sets of game statistics from the game service computing machine via the persistent connection.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving, via the computer network, from the game service computing machine, a reward notification message indicating that a user has earned a reward based on at least one of the set of game statistics meeting reward criteria defined at the game service computing machine; and

delivering the reward.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

visually presenting, via a display, the second set of different game statistics in the companion application during execution of the video game on the user gaming machine.