Google has acquired assets and some of the key talent of Green Throttle Games, a recently defunct, Android-based gaming company.
The news, first reported by PandoDaily, renewed discussion that Google is working on a set-top box to rival Apple TV as well as a possible offering from Amazon.
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Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Green Throttle made a blue-tooth gaming controller that could be paired with an Android phone or tablet, as well as hardware that connected the device to a TV.
The company was founded by Charles Huang, Matt Crowley and Karl Townsend. Huang will reportedly keep the rights for Green Throttle and will not be joining Google. Crowley and Townsend will join Google; as of Wednesday morning, they had each changed their LinkedIn profiles to indicate they will be working on the product side.
Google has previously made some unsuccessful attempts to put itself into competition with other streaming or "over the top" (OTT) devices. Its Nexus Q, billed as a "cloud-connect jukebox" never took off, however it has found some success with Chromecast.
The addition of Crowley and Townsend as well as Green Throttle assets suggest previous reports that Google is seeking to make gaming a big part of its set-top box are correct.
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