GamesIndustry.biz reports that Google is giving up on its virtual world Lively, which was announced this summer. The project was ultimately to be a platform for online games, but now it will be discontinued after next month. Word is: "Google has always been supportive of this kind of experimentation because we believe it's the best way to create ground-breaking products that make a difference to people's lives. But we've also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off."