How would you like to play games on LinkedIn?

No, we kid you not. A TechCrunch report on Sunday says playing games on LinkedIn will soon be a reality. The Microsoft owned professional network platform will add gaming to its offerings soon.

The idea is to get LinkedIn’s 1 billion plus users to spend more time on the platform, apart from just using it for business and professional purposes. The TechCrunch report says LinkedIn is tapping into the same wave of puzzle mania that helped word games like Wordle find viral success. LinkedIn’s first triumvirate of games is likely to be called “Queens”, “Inference” and “Crossclimb.”

An app research Nima Owji has put up first looks of these games, and he avers that LinkedIn appears to be experimenting with involves player scores being organised by places of work, with companies getting “ranked” by 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 LinkedIn spokesperson told TechCrunch that while the platform is indeed working on adding gaming experiences, it is still early days to comment. “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,” the spokesperson said in a message to TechCrunch. “Stay tuned for more!” The LinkedIn spokesperson however declined to say how and if parent Microsoft, a gaming behemoth itself, is involved in the gaming project at LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has over the years, added several features like creator mode, push for online education and news services. The gaming experience could however outdo all its earlier efforts to boost user engagement, given that puzzles and games are universally popular.

Mobile and PC games consistently rank among the top-performing apps in terms of both revenue and user engagement, with puzzle-based casual games emerging as a favored category among mobile users. Leveraging this trend, non-gaming platforms have capitalized on puzzles to drive traffic, reminiscent of the enduring popularity of crosswords and puzzles in traditional media. The New York Times, having acquired the viral sensation Wordle in 2022, reported sustained player engagement, highlighting its integration into a broader platform of online puzzles and games offered by the renowned newspaper.