Networking giant LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, is known for professional connections, learning, and recruitment. With over a billion users, they’re venturing into a surprising new territory: games! Hard to imagine that in the midst of a job search one would be looking to complete a puzzle.
The news was first reported by perennially app news source, Nima Owji. The app researcher suggests LinkedIn might be experimenting with showcasing player scores by workplace. This could lead to a “gamified” leaderboard system where companies are ranked based on their employees’ scores. Perhaps a future league table for companies?
The news was later confirmed by TechCrunch who revealed LinkedIn is developing a gaming experience. They’re capitalizing on the recent popularity of puzzle games like Wordle, aiming to attract millions with these new features. The games are codenamed “Queens,” “Inference,” and “Crossclimb”. These early in-app game ideas were discovered by app researchers through hidden code.
“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 said in a message to TechCrunch. Users of the social media platform have been urged to “Stay Tuned!”.
Microsoft’s Input
LinkedIn did not offer any insights on Microsoft’s input in the in-app games under development. LinkedIn was quick to note that that the images shared by Owiji are outdated. The company has since moved further on its games development journey.
It’s worth noting that Microsoft is a major game developer. The US company owns the gaming console platform Xbox. In addition, it has for years been developing PC games. It owns some of the most iconic franchises ever created. From genre-defining titles like Halo and Gears of War to beloved classics like Minecraft and Age of Empires, they offer a vast and diverse gaming experience.
