Following the announcement of RIM's social gaming hub Games, Google could be developing a native Android app similar to Apple's Game Center according to a source closely involved in the project.
Google's software will include a social achievement system awarding players to overcoming in-game challenges, as well as leaderboards.
It's also suggested that a friend-finding feature is likely to integrate the company's social network Google+.
Apple's Game Center currently boasts over 67 million users with a guestimated conversion rate of a third of iOS users setting up accounts.
Though third-party solutions such as OpenFeint/GREE and Mobage currently exist for Android developers, Google hopes a Game Center-style service native to Android games will enable more virality, community and discovery.
A bite of the Apple
"They are starting to really understand all of the needs and wants to make a game really successful," said the unnamed source.
"As recently as even a year ago, that really wasn't part of their institutional DNA, But I think they're getting there."
The same source also suggest Google is also looking to imitate Apple in more ways than one by fixing its payments system to run as smoothly as the App Store.
[source: Business Insider]
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