Google has reportedly agreed to buy social gaming and apps developer Slide as part of its wider efforts to build a new social networking service to rival Facebook.
The news was first reported by TechCrunch, which valued the deal at $182 million, although a subsequent New York Times report suggests the buyout price is $228 million.
Formed in August 2005 by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, Slide creates apps, virtual goods and games like SuperPoke!, Pets and Top Fish, which are playable on social networks like Facebook and MySpace.
“As we look at the future of social entertainment, Slide’s vision is to build communities that fuel the creation and distribution of virtual goods,” the San Francisco-based firm, which employs 125 staff, says on its website.
It’s unclear whether Levchin is set to join Google following the acquisition, which is expected to be officially announced on Friday.
The web giant is said to have invested as much as $200 million in FarmVille-maker Zynga and is said to be in talks with other big players in the social game market, including Playdom and Playfish, as it prepares to launch Google Games, which is thought to be part of a wider social networking initiative rumored to be called Google Me.