Google Virtual AdSense coming soon?

One of my predictions for 2007 was -

"Google will buy Second Life. Microsoft is already demonstrating Virtual Earth billboards and Google will seize the opportunity to bring AdSense not only to it's own mirror (Google Earth) world but also the virtual world."

Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that -

"Google is in talks to acquire San Francisco-based Adscape Media, an in-game advertising firm. A deal could be reached as early as next week, according to the report. Google has been in discussions for months with game publishers regarding the delivery of ads into Internet-enabled video games. The acquisition would enable Google to offer another advertising channel to ad clients, such as virtual billboards in racing games."

I notice though that Adscape Media is...

"... an advocate for the freedom of choice of its partners and our solution supports a level of flexibility and options unmatched in the industry. To ensure our products meet your requirements, Adscape Media is actively forming non-exclusive strategic relationships..."

So any interest in this company might seem to suggest that Google wouldn't tie itself into a single virtual world. But it's not like a similar line of thinking prevented them snapping up YouTube! So who knows....