Android Police has got their hands on the latest Google Play Services app (a seemingly boring app that doesn’t seem to do too much at the moment) and, by tearing down the .apk file, have revealed what appears to be evidence of some upcoming features that Google will allow developers to implement in their games.

Buried in the code were some interesting strings of text that seem to hint at a variety of features. These include:

  • Synced game saves
  • Matchmaking and online lobbies
  • Achievements
  • Leaderboards
  • Chat

There also seems to be a lot of pushing towards Google+, to share scores, play and compete with members in your Circles.

At this stage, there is nothing that has been officially confirmed, and there are many questions, assuming that these features are even coming. For example, is there a centralised server that handles all these features or will games need to provide the infrastructure? How many games will embrace the new features? Will they enhance gamers’ experience at all?

More details about are expected to be announced at Google I/O, which begins this Wednesday (15 May) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.