Newsletter
Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but Google has made another acquisition. This time it’s mobile gaming firm SocialDeck of Waterloo, Ontario. SocialDeck provides games to mobile devices: Shake & Spell (also in a 3-D version), Color Connect and Pet Hero. That is, it provides games to mobile devices provided they run iOS. (In English, that means Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.)
More of interest to the Android user, the company also has a non-game platoform called Spark. This product connects users across the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android worlds via social gaming. Many features are designed to connect your to your old friends and possibly make new ones, such as Leaderboards, chat, social networking connections to Facebook and Twitter, and multiple methods to invite contacts to join you in your favorite game.
It’s too bad SocialDeck hasn’t written any cross-platform games using their own product, but it’s a great idea. Unfortunately the other gaming companies haven’t rushed forward to endorse it, so no idea how well it performs .
Here’s a video on Spark.
Google is also working on a desktop social networking system that looks like a direct Facebook challenge. Google’s recent purchase of Slide and investment in Zynga would fit their plans for social networking via gaming across both Android devices and conventional computers. (You know, desktops, laptops, and netbooks.)
Anything that leads to more and better games for Android devices should be welcomed by the community.
Sources: IntoMobile, Inside Social Games