Professionals looking for networking opportunities, information, and recruitment frequently use LinkedIn, a social media platform that belongs to Microsoft.
With over 1 billion users, it has become a prominent player in the business world. Now, in order to enhance the amount of time individuals are spending on the platform, the company is venturing into a completely new realm: gaming.
According to reliable sources, LinkedIn is currently developing a new gaming experience. It plans to tap into the same wave of puzzlemania that propelled games like Wordle to viral success and attracted millions of players. There are three early games that were developed: “Queens,” “Inference,” and “Crossclimb.”
Researchers in the app industry have recently discovered code that suggests LinkedIn is actively working on something. Nima Owji mentioned that LinkedIn seems to be exploring the concept of organizing player scores based on places of work, where companies would be “ranked” according to those scores.
BREAKING: #LinkedIn is working on IN-APP GAMES!
There are going to be a few different games and companies will be ranked in the games based on the scores of their employees!
Pretty cool and fun, in my opinion! pic.twitter.com/hLITqc8aqw
— Nima Owji (@nima_owji) March 16, 2024
A representative for LinkedIn said that the company is developing games, but they could not provide an estimated release date.
“We’re experimenting with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations.” “Check back soon for more!”
The researcher’s photographs on X are not the most recent versions, the spokeswoman clarified.
(Update: We’re adding some updated photographs below that were just sent.)
The owner of LinkedIn The giant of gaming is Microsoft. Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax are all part of the company’s gaming division, which generated $7.1 billion in sales last quarter, surpassing Windows sales for the first time.
A representative for LinkedIn declined to comment on Microsoft’s involvement in the gaming initiative at LinkedIn or how it works.
In terms of income and user engagement, games are consistently among the top downloaded programs for PCs and mobile devices. Among mobile users, puzzle-based casual games have proven to be one of the most well-liked game genres. Consider the popularity of crosswords and other puzzles in newspapers and magazines. It’s possible that this trend predates the internet, as non-gaming platforms have long used these facts to increase their own traffic.
Millions of people are still playing Wordle, which the New York Times, which purchased the viral sensation in 2022, announced at the end of the previous year. The game is now a part of a larger platform of online games and puzzles that the newspaper has created.
Others who have increased their gaming time have experienced varying outcomes. The largest social network in the world, Facebook, has had a significant impact on social gaming over the years. However, it closed down its standalone gaming app in 2022 due to a drop in popularity; these days, it is much more focused on mixed reality experiences and its Meta Quest business.
In an effort to increase the number and quality of users on its platform, LinkedIn has experimented with a number of new features over the years. The approach could be best summed up as follows: “How can we take the most popular tools people are using right now and make them relevant to LinkedIn’s audience and focus on the world of work?”
These have included initiatives for professional development and online learning, as well as publishing and news operations, the addition of more video capabilities, and outreach to influencers and artists.
