Google planning a major foray into mobile social gaming

In the past few months, the consumer internet industry has been rife with chatter around Google's social networking plans. Google's recent acquisitions in this space, include those of Slide, SocialDeck and Jambool have only added fuel to the fire. What do Google's recent moves add up to?

Slide.com has been a player in the social networking space for a while. Slide initially focused on "fun" applications for Facebook (but not quite games) and other social networks. More recently it added social gaming to its portfolio with games such as SPP Ranch. SocialDeck makes social games such and
"shake and spell" for the mobile environment. It's  games run as native application on the iPhone and Blackberry and also on Facebook. Interestingly, Android is not amongst the primary supported platforms. Jambool is a provider of virtual currency - often used on gaming platforms to facilitate payments. Judging from these acquisitions, Google seems to be positioning itself as a mobile social gaming platform.

Google already is major player in the mobile platforms space with Android. In recent months, shipments of Android on phones have exceeded the iPhone. Combine these facts with the acquisition of Admob - an ad network for mobile platforms - and it seems clear that Google wants to extend its bread and butter advertising business to the mobile space. Such designs are hampered by Google's lack of control over the iPhone and Blackberry - major alternative platforms to Android - and by users spending a significant portion of their "mobile phone time" on Facebook, Twitter and casual/social gaming. Creating a viable mobile social gaming platform gives Google the opportunity to attract these eyeballs back.

There is some evidence that such a strategy may in-fact work. First, niche social networks such as GoFISHn, Dogster and the like are reported to be gaining traction (Bloomberg Businessweek, 9/13/2010 - 9/19/2010). It is not inconceivable that what works for niche communities could work for larger segments (or verticals). Second, LinkedIn has been able to achieve success by focusing on social networking for professionals. LinkedIn probably does not interest everybody online, but it interests a sufficiently large segment of the online population to make the company profitable. Casual, Social and/or Mobile gaming make for a similarly large and attractive segment. Finally, Apple just placed a bet on its own music based social network "Ping". The jury on Ping is still out, but at-least some analysts back the strategy of  building a large social network built around a particular type of entertainment activity.

I don't have any specific insider information on Google's social plans. But just from the moves that it has made thus far, it appears that Google wants to stake a social networking claim around mobile gaming.