• by Colin Kirkland , March 18, 2024

Business-to-business social-networking platform LinkedIn is exploring a new focus: gaming.

Over the weekend, app researchers have discovered code and shared screenshots that highlight the Microsoft-owned app’s newest method in user retention.

“There are going to be a few different games and companies will be ranked in the games based on the scores of their employees!” wrote app researcher Nima Owji on X, who added images of three games in development at LinkedIn. 

Based on the three games captured by Owji -- Interference, Crossclimb and Queens -- LinkedIn is looking to provide its one billion global users with simple, puzzle-based experiences similar to the wildly popular New York Times games like Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections.

As for the ranking portion of the gaming experience mentioned by Owji, it seems that LinkedIn may be attempting to integrate some low-key competition between companies involved with the platform by organizing and comparing company game scores.

LinkedIn has confirmed that it is working on in-app games but has no launch date at this time.

“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,” a LinkedIn spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Stay tuned for more!”

LinkedIn's foray into gaming is likely inspired not only by the Times' success in gaming (Wordle, the word-finding puzzle game, alone is played by millions of people everyday), but by its parent company. Microsoft has been a major player in gaming for years, with its gaming companies like Xbox, Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax bringing in over $7 billion last quarter.

It's unclear right now whether games will be available for free users or reserved for LinkedIn's paid subscribers.