Google Unveils New Tools for Game Developers

Alphabet Inc.’s Google revealed on Monday its new tools for game developers, few days after the company opened its Maps to make location-based online games, challenging its technology rivals, such as Amazon.com Inc. in the bid for a larger portion of the lucrative industry.

Google will be showing its new tools at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week as the company is seeking to increase its licensing fees from games, which is dominating the Google’s Play store.

Meanwhile, Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are also organizing workshops for developers at the conference as both companies are competing for a growth in advertising and licensing revenue.

According to Google, the number of users of Google’s Android smartphones and other mobile devices who installed a game last year has doubled compared to previous years.

Google has traditionally made money on gaming through selling advertisements, taking a cut of in-game purchases, and hosting data.

“Everything we've done on Play and Android to support game developers is being extended to several Google products,” stated Purnima Kochikar, who leads business development for Google’s Play store app.

Managers of other Google units, however, had started thinking about gaming in “a very nuanced way,” added Kochikar.

 

Google Launches New Program

Google launched Shopping Actions, its new program, which will allow its users to purchase items via Google Assistant and shopping ads in search results.

With the use of Google search, Google Express, and Google Assistant shoppers can now buy from retailers with an instant checkout. In exchange, retail shops will give Google a cut of the profit from each purchase, which is different from the usual ad payments retailers make to Google for sponsored listings.

However, Retailers will only pay Google when sales are made.

As of now, companies like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, 1-800-FLOWERS, Ulta Beauty, and Costco Wholesale have signed for the new program of Google.

The new program of Google was announced on Monday. However, other retailers, such as Target and Ulta Beauty have been testing the program for months.

Shopping Actions is open to all retail shops in the U.S.

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