According to TechCrunch, Meta is internally prototyping a basketball game for Threads direct messages, a feature first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi. The game, which is not available to the public, lets users shoot hoops by swiping their finger, likely to compete with friends for the highest score. This move could give Threads an edge over competitors like X and Bluesky, which lack built-in games, and even help it compete with Apple’s iMessage. The news comes as Threads, which boasts 400 million monthly users, still trails in U.S. adoption, with a recent Pew Research report showing only 8% of U.S. adults have used Threads compared to 21% for X. This isn’t Meta’s first foray into in-message gaming, as Instagram tested a hidden emoji paddle game in DMs last year.
Meta wants your DMs to be fun
Here’s the thing: this is a classic Meta playbook move. They see a space—direct messaging—and they want to stuff it with every possible engagement lever they can find. Games are a low-friction way to keep you in the app, to give you a reason to ping a friend, and to create a bit of sticky, habitual behavior. It’s not about creating the next great mobile game; it’s about creating another tiny reason not to leave. And let’s be honest, a simple swipe-to-shoot basketball game is about as lightweight as it gets. But sometimes that’s all you need for a quick distraction.
The bigger picture for Threads
Look, Threads needs this. It’s got the user numbers on paper, but the Pew Research data is pretty stark. An 8% U.S. adoption rate versus X’s 21% shows there’s a real usage gap. So Meta is throwing features at the wall: Communities to chip away at Reddit, disappearing posts to mimic ephemeral stories, and now games for DMs. It’s a full-court press to make Threads feel “complete” and catch up. The question is, does adding a basketball game move the needle? Or is it just feature bloat for an app that’s still searching for its core, must-use identity beyond “not X”?
A history of hidden games
This also feels a bit like a trial run. Remember that Instagram emoji paddle game? It was hidden, almost an Easter egg. I think Meta uses these small, playful prototypes to gauge reaction without the fanfare of a major launch. If people find it and get excited, great. If it flops, they can quietly kill it. The screenshot shared by Alessandro Paluzzi suggests this basketball game might follow a similar semi-hidden path. It’s a low-risk way to experiment. But it also means we shouldn’t hold our breath for a full-blown gaming platform in Threads anytime soon. This is probably just a fun gimmick.
Will anyone actually care?
So, is this a killer feature? Probably not. Messaging games have been around forever, from Snake in old Nokia phones to the whole IndustrialMonitorDirect.com suite of iMessage games. They’re a nice-to-have, not a reason to switch platforms. For Threads, the real competition is still about the core feed, real-time conversation, and network effects. A basketball game isn’t going to solve that. But it might make the experience a tiny bit more delightful for the people already there. And in the brutal war for attention, every tiny bit of delight counts. Just don’t expect it to be a slam dunk for user growth.
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