LinkedIn forays into gaming with the launch of 3 new puzzle games

LinkedIn has designed each game to only take a few minutes, says company exec Lakshman Somasundaram (Image Source: LinkedIn)

LinkedIn is jumping onto the gaming bandwagon as part of the Microsoft-owned firm's efforts to boost the engagement of over a billion users on its platform.

On May 1, the professional networking platform launched three new puzzle games - Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb - that people across the world can play on LinkedIn's mobile app or website.

The games, which are "thinking-oriented" in nature, will be accessible through the My Network tab on mobile and desktop as well as the LinkedIn News section on the desktop.

LinkedIn's games launch follows the massive success of the puzzle game Wordle that later spawned several clones hoping to capitalise on the sudden user interest in word puzzles.

Since acquiring Wordle in 2022, The New York Times has also witnessed a significant jump in user engagement, time spent, and even digital subscriptions, fueled in part by their expanding games offerings.

LinkedIn's games were also developed by its News team that recently hired a games editor Paolo Pasco. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Pasco was working at a subscription-based weekly crossword called American Values Club Crossword. He was also this year's champion of the Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

LinkedIn games are thinking-oriented in nature and are accessible through the My Network tab on mobile and desktop as well as the LinkedIn News section on the desktop. (Image Source: LinkedIn)

Users can play each of the games once a day and also see which of their connections have played that day. It will also have school and company leaderboards.

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Pinpoint is a word association game that will show five different words inside a grid and users have to guess what common category all the words belong to. The catch is that only one word is revealed at a time and users have to guess the category in as few words as possible.

Queens is a logic game inspired by Sudoku. Users must place queens (crowns) in a grid. Each row, column, and region can only contain one crown, and no two queens can be adjacent to each other. This must be done within a specific time limit.

Crossclimb is a trivia game that is a combination of a crossword and a word ladder. One can use a mix of their trivia and word knowledge to fill out the words in the ladder. As the words are filled, users will have to rearrange them such that each word in the ladder differs by only one letter. This will later unlock two final clues to win the game.

"We've designed each game to only take a few minutes, and fit right into your work schedule — whether it’s prepping your mind on the commute in, taking a quick mental break between meetings, or unwinding after a long day" said Lakshman Somasundaram, director of product management at LinkedIn.

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Pinpoints and Crossclimbs are created daily by Pasco while Queens grids will be created by a lineup of prominent creators, starting with Thomas Snyder, a three-time World Sudoku Champion, Somasundaram said.

The LinkedIn News team will also make daily posts about each game, where people will have a chance to engage with the broader puzzling community on LinkedIn on tips and tricks, chat with their creators, and meet new connections among others, he added.

The addition of these puzzle games could result in increased user engagement as they spend more time on the platform. This could also strengthen existing connections between members by encouraging interactions around games.

"You’ll likely notice people you haven't caught up with in a while are playing too, reminding you that it’s time to grab coffee again" Somasundaram said.