LinkedIn To Bring Games On Platform To End Boring Old Job Hunting

A LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed the development, stating, "We're playing with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience."

LinkedIn spokesperson clarified that the images shared by the researcher are not the most recent versions.

Source : X/@nima_owji

LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft and boasting over 1 billion users, is venturing into gaming. The platform is looking to enhance user engagement by capitalising on the popularity of puzzle games. Code snippets discovered by app researcher Nima Owji indicate that LinkedIn is exploring a unique feature where player scores are associated with their workplaces, resulting in companies being "ranked" based on these scores.

However, a LinkedIn spokesperson clarified that the images shared by the researcher are not the most recent versions.

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

As reported by TechCrunch, LinkedIn is currently in the process of developing three puzzle-based games titled "Queens," "Inference," and "Crossclimb." Although no specific launch date has been disclosed yet, a LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed the development, stating, "We're playing with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations. Stay tuned for more!"

Other Platforms Integrating Gaming

Other non-game platforms have already begun integrating casual games into their offerings, making LinkedIn not the pioneer in this endeavour. An example of this trend is seen in The New York Times' acquisition of Wordle in 2022, which quickly gained immense popularity and amassed millions of active players by the end of the year. This move expanded the newspaper's repertoire to include a broader platform of online puzzles and games aimed at captivating users' attention.

However, not all attempts by non-game platforms to venture into gaming have been equally successful. Facebook, known as the world's largest social network and a significant player in the realm of social gaming, made the decision to shut down its standalone gaming app in 2022 due to a noticeable decline in usage and engagement. Conversely, Google, which had previously shut down Stadia, its cloud gaming platform, has rekindled its interest in gaming by introducing casual games on YouTube Playables, its video-streaming platform.