LinkedIn is reportedly gearing up to venture into seemingly unfamiliar territory by introducing gaming features to its platform.
The social networking platform has already established itself as the go-to platform for business networking (although Elon Musk wants to challenge that with X), but Microsoft has always kept its gaming expertise off the site.
The revelation comes from TechCrunch, which reports sightings of code indicating that LinkedIn could be developing a gaming experience.
LinkedIn will get… games?
The Microsoft-owned platform has already amassed over one billion users, most of whom use its services for networking, learning, and recruitment. The introduction of gaming could increase engagement on the site, but it’s unclear where and how this adaptation could fit.
The platform is said to be exploring puzzle-based games like Wordle. Three games – Queens, Inference and Crossclimb – already look to be in the works.
While a launch date remains unconfirmed, a LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed with TechRadar Pro in an email that the platform is looking at adding puzzle-based games "to unlock a bit of run, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations."
Microsoft already has extensive gaming experience, including Xbox and its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While the company has all the right tools to make gaming a success on LinkedIn, it’s uncertain whether the platform’s users will want to engage.
In other work-based settings, games can be effective ice-breakers and collaboration tools, but online is a different world, with generally less anxiety about connecting with others, potentially ruling out the need for online ice-breakers.
Other platforms, including Facebook, have also previously attempted to add games to their social networking sites, but successes have been less than desirable.
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