"The investment was made by Google itself, not Google Ventures, say our sources, and it's a highly strategic deal. Zynga will be the cornerstone of a new Google Games to launch later this year, say multiple sources."

A job listing has been posted by Google for "Product Management Leader, Games", which further supports the theory that Google will enter the social gaming space. If the company does so, Zynga would be a powerful partnership to do so with, given the success of Zynga's Farmville and Mafia Wars games on Facebook.

With Zynga's revenue reportedly at $350 million for the first half of 2010, it's obvious that social gaming is growing. According to TechCrunch's sources, a Google Games service is scheduled to be launched later this year.