Analysts: Google As Game Publisher?

Search engine giant Google may be considering a move into video game publishing, according to a new speculative article appearing in business magazine Forbes. As part of the regular Game On column, Forbes’ Chris Morris points to social interaction site Google Lively and the acquisition of in-game advertising company Adscape as evidence of the company’s interest in the market. He further speculates that the ongoing success of Steam and other online delivery systems could see the company attempting to enter the games industry without having to become a traditional retail publisher. Creating or acquiring a casual games Web portal similar to EA’s Pogo.com is also seen as a possibility, and Morris suggests revenues from advertising, rather than from game sales themselves, are likely to be at the core of any plans. Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian is also quoted in the article: "Given all the employees they have and the company's policy of encouraging side projects, I would be very surprised if there wasn't somebody in Google who's not approaching [gaming] as an opportunity." "Of course, there are a number of hurdles that have to be cleared before it reaches the outside world," Sebastian adds.