In a bid to enhance user engagement, LinkedIn, the renowned professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, is reportedly gearing up to introduce gaming features to its services, as revealed by The Economic Times.

The move marks a significant departure from LinkedIn’s traditional focus on job-seeking and networking, signaling its ambition to diversify its offerings and tap into the booming gaming industry. The new gaming experience is said to revolve around puzzles and word-based games reminiscent of popular titles like Wordle, with initial games titled “Queens,” “Inference,” and “Crossclimb.”

Gaming has emerged as a powerhouse in both mobile and PC markets, boasting substantial revenues and fostering prolonged user engagement. Puzzle-based games, in particular, have garnered significant attention among mobile users, making LinkedIn’s foray into gaming a strategic move to capture this trend.

While a LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed the development, details regarding Microsoft’s involvement in the initiative remain undisclosed. However, Microsoft’s commitment to gaming is unmistakable, with its gaming division, spearheaded by Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax, generating over $15 billion in annual sales.

Despite recent job cuts within its gaming division, Microsoft’s gaming empire continues to flourish, with a notable surge in revenue and profit in the past quarter. The company’s robust performance underscores the growing importance of gaming as a core pillar of its consumer business strategy.

As LinkedIn explores new horizons with gaming integration, industry watchers await further updates on how this initiative will shape the platform’s future and its broader implications within Microsoft‘s gaming ecosystem.