Google is reportedly helping young tech entrepreneur Michael Sayman build and launch a social gaming startup. Bloomberg reports that the project — called Arcade — won’t be tied to any existing social networks; instead, users will create accounts based off their phone number. The games might involve some trivia elements. Google confirmed Arcade’s existence to Bloomberg but provided no details other than the project being “focused on mobile gaming with friends.”

So while this sounds like an extremely nascent endeavor, it appears Google is taking cues from live trivia game HQ. Those live trivia sessions can reach millions of users and have created real-world social gatherings where colleagues, friends, and families get together for a game. Bloomberg says Google won’t tie Arcade to a specific social platform because the game will generate its own place for users to hang out, which HQ demonstrates could work out just fine.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/2/17312318/google-alphabet-arcade-gaming-startup