Google Eying Games?
Seems like Google is always trying to roll out a new spin on existing products recently with everything from their recent browser endeavor, Chrome, to their cellphone software platform, Android, and even the Second-Life contender, Lively. Google is hungry and growing boy and wants to get a piece of every type of pie it can get into its hands which means it needs to start branching out into new markets.
Well, Chris Morris, over at Forbes thinks that Lively might just be the start of Google's foray into the gaming stratosphere, and with good reason. Apparently, back in March, Google acquired the in-game advertising company 'Adscape'. So far the company is keeping quiet, but one would stand to reason that Google has some sort of plans for them other than how they have used them in Lively. He then goes on to speculate that maybe Lively was just a testing ground for Adscape advertising and that Google may be working on more to help push them into the gaming business. One part of the piece that really stood out is how existing properties within Google could be leveraged for games:
Google also has several existing technologies that could be used to create games. Imagine a flight simulator that uses Google Earth as a backdrop or tracking a spy in a major city via Google Maps' street view. While there would still be significant work required to create a game using these tools, the underlying technology is already fundamentally finished.
The fact that games are already using Google Maps, I'd say that Chris might be on to something here. I for one would love to see another contender enter the gaming arena and Google looks like it might have the means and method of doing it; however, the only downside is that if it's a Google product, it'll probably be in open beta for 2+ years.
Will Google Play Games? [Forbes]
PixelPoet
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 10 September 2008
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: advertising, google, lively, rumorama
Last Guy uses satellite images but it ain't Google Maps. :)
Google doing games? Give me a break not 1 of their other "Products" have ever really come out of Beta.