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Google Ventures, the venture capitalist arm of the internet company, has reportedly invested between $3-5m in successful iPhone games developer Ngmoco.
Already this month Google has been linked with two possible games acquisitions – the first a $182 deal for developer Slide and the second a rumoured buyout of in-app payment specialist Jambool. Google is also said to have invested heavily in Zynga.
TechCrunch says that the investment values Ngmoco at around $100m and follows shortly after the developer secured round C funding of $25m.
If the deal is real it doesn’t necessarily tie in with Google’s recent gaming strides as Google Ventures is an independently operated firm, though it has been previously suggested that any company receiving GV investment will subsequently receive specialist help from Google’s core team.
If indeed the move doesn’t tie in Google’s still mysterious social network gaming plans, it could instead be an attempt to bolster Ngmoco’s presence on Android mobile platforms. Until now, the company has enjoyed most success on Apple’s iPhone platforms.
How Apple will react to the investment is another question altogether.
