Game on for Google?

Ars Technica reports: Steam is gathering on the rumors that Google is planing to launch a Facebook competitor that will focus on social gaming. The company is supposedly in talks with a number of online game makers in order to build a stable for launch, according to unnamed individuals speaking to the Wall Street Journal.

However, even if Google succeeds in launching a social network that will keep users' interest, it seems unlikely that it will make much of a dent in Facebook in the near term.

According to the WSJ's sources, Google is currently talking to Playdom, Electronic Arts' Playfish, and Zynga, maker of the popular Facebook game Farmville. This supports a previous rumor from earlier this month alleging Google "secretly" invested $100 million in Zynga as part of a strategic partnership for Google's upcoming gaming service. The timeline for such a service still has yet to be determined, however, so it may still be some time before we see the fruits of Google's labor.

Google, of course, has not uttered a peep about its plans except to state that the world doesn't need another Facebook knockoff. Indeed, it's unlikely that Google [or any other company for that matter] would be able to steal away many users from Facebook, which, despite constant controversy over its privacy policies, remains a huge force in the online world.

Instead, Google is likely trying to build something that would tie into users' Google accounts in the same way Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google Buzz, and other services already do. There are also likely be native ties into Android, which would allow a growing number of smartphone users direct access to the gaming network.