Earlier this month, it was reported that Google invested $100 million or more in social games leader Zynga, as the Internet giant looks to become a serious contender in the social gaming sector. A Google Games platform would be part of a larger social network that would supposedly directly challenge Facebook. Now, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Google is preparing for the new platform by going after deals with social companies like EA's Playfish, the now Disney-owned Playdom and Zynga.
One rumored name for the social service is "Google Me," but Google representatives won't comment on the matter. Facebook has a kind of monopoly on the social gaming space, and while some companies have tried to break away from Facebook, many have ultimately signed up long-term deals to incorporate Facebook Credits as the in-game payment system of choice. This nets Facebook 30% of sales on micro-transactions, but as WSJ points out, "Google already has an online payment mechanism called Checkout that, in theory, it could use to collect payments for social games on its platform."
It's unclear when we'll actually see this new social networking and games push from Google, but it is clear that the company wants to differentiate itself from Facebook. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt commented that "the world doesn't need a copy of the same thing."
