Google Closes Social App, Game Developer Slide

Google has announced that it has decided to shut down its social app and game development studio Slide, a startup the search engine giant purchased for $182 million just one year ago. Coinciding with the studio closure, Slide leader Max Levchin and head of product Jared Fliesler will be departing Google, reports AllThingsD. "Max has decided to leave Slide and Google to pursue other opportunities, and we wish him the best," a Google spokesperson said. "Most of the team from Slide will remain at Google to work on other opportunities." Since its acquisition by Google, Slide has worked on a number of social apps such as the web-based SuperPoke Pets and the picture-sharing app Photovine, which launched two weeks ago on August 17. Since Google purchased Slide, the studio has existed separately from the rest of the company's social efforts, reports AllThingsD. For instance, while Google executives Vic Gundotra and Bradley Horowitz led the charge in developing the Google+ social network, Slide and Max Levchin existed as a smaller subsidiary reporting to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Earlier this month, Google debuted its first set of third party social games on Google+, with apps from popular developers such as Zynga, PopCap, Wooga, and more.