Google makes fifth acquisition in one month, buys gaming start-up SocialDeck

Internet search giant Google has just finalised its fifth acquisition in less than a month, buying gaming start-up SocialDeck in what is another confirmation the company will attempt to capitalise on the rapidly growing social gaming sector with its own social network.

The purchase comes just days after it acquired social networking software developer Angstro, while earlier this month it bought social gaming groups Slide, Jambool and image search site Like.com. It also placed a significant investment in social gaming group Zynga, makers of the popular Farmville app.

SocialDeck confirmed the purchase on its website, saying the announcement was “big news” for the company.

“We’re super excited to announce that someone found our social games as fun as you have – in this case, that “someone” is Google. SocialDeck has been acquired and we’ve joined the Google team.”

“We started this company with the goal of connecting friends through social games on all kinds of exciting new mobile devices. We’ve been amazed and humbled by all of the stories and experiences our customers have shared with us.”

A purchase price has not been disclosed by either party. However, analysts point out that whatever social network Google is planning, the SocialDeck purchase indicates it will likely have a large emphasis on mobile platforms and technology.

SocialDeck was formed in 2008, and already has titles available for the iPhone, Facebook and BlackBerry. Its technology allows users to play games simultaneously across several mobile devices and social networks, with some of its popular titles including “Color Connect” and “Shake & Spell”.

The acquisition all but confirms Google is heavily investing in social gaming as part of a push to rival Facebook. Just last week it purchased social gaming start up Angstro, with the LA Times reporting its founder Rohit Khare has been hired to work on the search giant’s upcoming network, Google Me.

Angstro launched two years ago as a type of newspaper for your social network. The software searches content through news, blogs and other sites to find the information most relevant to you.

The company also launched KNX.to, a type of universal contact list that aggregates a user’s social network and phone book.

The purchases come just after Google acquired Slide and Jambool earlier this month, along with image search website Like.com. It also invested up to $US200 million in gaming group Zynga, makers of the popular Farmville Facebook application.

Various reports suggest Google is attempting to take on Facebook with its own social network. While it has attempted to do this already with Google Buzz, this was deemed a failure and reports suggest the company is hoping to have more of a professional, competitive approach with its new platform.