Welcome to the Social (Networks): MSN Games Hit Facebook, MySpace

Microsoft's casual games portal MSN Games is embracing social networking sites, launching Hexic and Chess for Facebook and MySpace.

Microsoft’s casual games portal MSN Games is getting in on the newfangled social networking thing, today launching versions of its two most popular titles—Hexic and Chess—on both MySpace and Facebook. Both of the games enable users to collect merit badges for game achievements, and feature leaderboards, MSN Games news feeds, and the ability to share applications with friends.

“We’re excited to bring two of our most popular games to the Facebook and MySpace communities,” said MSN Games marketing manager Megan Hodel, in a statement. “These networks reach more than 200 million people around the world, and the MSN Games applications will make it easier and more fun for Facebook and MySpace users to play some of their favorite casual games.”

MSN Games has also launched its own dedicated page on Facebook—Microsoft has an investment stake in the social networking site—and the Facebook versions of the games feature notifications when players complete games or earn badges. The Chess game features a multiplayer mode that enables users to make a move whenever they have time to log in and check their profiles; users can also track their long-term results against friends using the Elo rating system.

Both Chess and Hexic were developed for MSN games by Microsoft’s Carbonated Games studio, with the Facebook and MySpace apps built by Plexipixel.