Meta is trying to lure users to Threads with a chaotic new chat feature that involves nothing but shooting hoops

Threads is internally prototyping a brand new, wildly addictive basketball game designed to live right inside your direct messages, as per TechCrunch. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the company is currently working on the game, though they emphasized it isn’t ready for public consumption just yet. This is a huge development because launching fun, casual games directly in the chat interface could be a major way for Threads to lure users away from its biggest competitors.

The prototype was first spotted by super-sleuth reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who always seems to find these secret features before they’re ready for prime time. Paluzzi shared a screenshot of the basketball game, which looks incredibly simple and perfect for quick chat interactions. The idea is that users will virtually shoot hoops by swiping their finger, competing with their friends in the chat to see who can rack up the highest score.

Sometimes you just need a quick, low-stakes way to interact with someone without having to type out a full message, and a score competition is ideal for that. Introducing built-in games would immediately give Threads a huge competitive advantage over rivals like X and Bluesky, since neither of those platforms offers anything similar. This feature even helps Threads fight back against Apple’s native Messages app, which supports gaming through third-party apps like GamePigeon.

It’s worth remembering that this isn’t Meta’s first time sneaking games into their messaging features

Last year, Instagram launched a hidden emoji game in DMs. That one was a classic paddle-and-ball setup where you had to use your finger to move the paddle at the bottom of the screen to keep an emoji of your choice bouncing. If you let the emoji fall, you lose the round. The goal there was also high score competition, proving Meta knows that simple, quick games can drive engagement.

This push for chaotic, quick fun comes as Meta aggressively builds out Threads to make it a serious competitor in the social media space. For instance, the platform recently expanded its Communities with more topical options and a Community Notes feature, clearly trying to draw users away from Reddit and X by offering more focused spaces. They also recently introduced a disappearing posts feature, letting users share quick thoughts and engage in conversations that automatically vanish after 24 hours.

While the platform boasts an impressive 400 million monthly users globally, it’s clear they still need features that hook the U.S. audience. Data released just a few weeks ago shows that while 21% of U.S. adults have used X, only 8% have used Threads, with Bluesky trailing even further behind at 4%. That’s a massive gap they’re trying to close.

Since this is strictly an internal prototype right now, we can’t say for sure when, or even if, this hoops game will officially roll out to everyone. As with any feature still under development, Meta might decide to scrap it before it ever sees the light of day. That might be a valid concern after Mark Zuckerberg’s meltdown after some earlier leaks.