It takes a lot of 
guts for a social game to turn its back on Facebook, but you probably would expect nothing less of a game based on the Godfather franchise.
The Godfather: Five Families has decided to bypass the largest social networking site and launch exclusively on Google+.
Gamasutra editor-at-large 
Chris Morris picks apart the ESRB’s recent push into the mobile app space, and wonders how these ratings will fare without Apple and Android’s support.
While you have to admire the Entertainment Software Ratings Board’s push into the mobile app space, it’s hard not to be disappointed with Tuesday’s joint announcement with CTIA.
Getting AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless on board is a step, yes, but it’s akin to announcing a new Grand Theft Auto that’s being made by first year game development students. It sounds great, until you think about it for a couple seconds.
Google TV was 
the biggest thing that didn’t happen at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. Released with a lot of fanfare in late 2010, it immediately hit resistance and most television manufacturers quickly scrapped plans to include it in their 2011 sets.
The system probably won’t have much of a presence at the 2012 CES either, but it looks to have found an ally with one of the largest names in TV.
The first iteration of Google TV fell flat. It was, at its core, a good idea that was marred by poor execution and mismanagement. Now the search giant is ready to give it another go.
Starting Sunday, Google will roll out a software update to existing owners that’s meant to serve as a reboot of the service. The update will bring a new interface as well as selected apps from the Android Marketplace – but it will also bring a lot of baggage and hurdles from the existing service (most notably the lack of any support from the major networks).
Just eight years 
after the music industry experienced one of the most radical shifts in its history, it’s finding itself on the verge of yet another revolution.
The launch of iTunes in April 2003 certainly didn’t introduce digital downloads to consumers (Napster and countless other illegal download sites were thriving at the time), but it legitimized the distribution method and made it profitable for artists and labels. Now Apple — and a host of other companies — are hoping customers are willing to walk away entirely from physically owning the music in their collection in favor of the cloud.
Amazon and Google caused 
a stir when they launched their cloud music storage initiatives. Rather than following the path Apple eventually would, both companies decided to bypass securing permissions from the record labels, causing quite a tempest in a teapot in the process.
Now it seems the pair have the courts on their side.
Given Motorola’s notable presence
in the cell phone world, the bulk of today’s coverage on the $12.5 billion deal has focused on what will happen with the Android operating system (quick answer: Not much- HTC, Samsung and other phones will still be supported). But the real interesting twist on this takeover could be its impact on Google TV.
The service, which lets users access the Web on their TV, hasn’t had a particularly strong launch. To be blunt, it has stumbled more than a baby taking its first steps. (In the first quarter of this year, there were more returns of Logitech’s Google TV box than there were sales.)
The social war between 
Facebook and Google just got a lot more fun.
Google+, the search giant’s fast-rising social network, has added games to its offerings, encroaching on the most profitable and popular part of Facebook’s empire. And it’s boasting some big titles, too.
Looks like Google’s plans 
to take its movie rental service on the road are about to get rolling.
The Android App marketplace briefly offered a Google-branded movie rental app for a short period last Friday, according to published reports. It was yanked quickly, but that still seemingly indicates an imminent widespread release.
The long-awaited initial public offering for Zynga 
is reality — but as some investors celebrate, others wonder whether the numbers being discussed in conjunction with the company are a sign that we’re in the middle of another Internet stock bubble.
Zynga, the maker of massively popular Facebook games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, filed for an IPO Friday and said it plans to raise $1 billion — – a figure that is expected to go higher by the time its shares begin trading.
Chris Morris: Journalist 