Google said it would shut dow The company said in its blog it supports experimentation but added: "We've also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off."

Lively, which features real-time virtual world characters known as avatars and three-dimensional graphics to congregate in virtual rooms, was launched in July to match Linden Lab's popular Second Life.

"Between now and the end of the year we encourage you to capture all your hard work by taking videos and screenshots of your rooms," the blog said.