Worms Battlegrounds, Nutjitsu confirmed for ID@Xbox on Xbox One

By Adam Rosenberg February 10, 2014

worms nutjitsu confirmed idxbox xbox one — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s ID@Xbox self-publishing program, which aims to create an easier path to releasing indie titles on the company’s Xbox One console, is expected to launch in the early months of 2014, and two of the first releases are now confirmed. Team 17’s Worms Battlegrounds and Ninjabee’s Nutjitsu are both close enough to launching that they’re playable, as Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer confirmed on Twitter (via OXM).

Spencer noted that the played both of the “first shipping games” for the indie program shortly before he left for last week’s DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Team 17 confirms to Eurogamer that its ID@Xbox release is Worms Battlegrounds, which will also be self-published on PlayStation 4. Meanwhile, Ninjabee’s Nutjitsu came to Windows Phone 8 devices in 2013. It’s a stealth-puzzle game played from a top-down perspective. It also stars a ninja squirrel, so there’s that. Ninjabee is also known for Xbox Live Arcade release A Kingdom for Keflings, so its not exactly a newcomer to Microsoft’s gaming consoles.

There’s no word on when these games will be coming to Xbox One, though program director Chris Charla noted in December 2013 that ID@Xbox ought to launch in the first three months of the new year. Spencer’s tweet isn’t exactly a formal announcement for these games, but the boss of Microsoft Studios is probably in a good position to know the facts on these things.

You can check out a trailer for Nutjitsu below to get a sense of what kind of game it is.

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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Baldur’s Gate 3 drops Series S splitscreen support to release on Xbox in 2023

Jaheira in Baldur's Gate 3.

Larian Studios promises to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X/S later this year after pushing the game back because of performance problems on Xbox Series S.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC and will come out for PS5 on September 6, but an Xbox Series X/S version won't be available for a little bit longer. In a July 2023 community update, developer Larian Studios explained that this is because it needed "to ensure that the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X/S ecosystem, in multiplayer and with split-screen. The Xbox Series X version was running fine, but the Xbox Series S version of the game was struggling a lot more. The Xbox versions of Baldur's Gate 3 didn't have a release window until now, when Larian Studios co-founder Swen Vincke took to X to confirm it'd come to Xbox platforms before the end of the year. That said, it will exclude one notable feature.
"Super happy to confirm that after meeting [Phil Spencer] yesterday, we’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time," Vincke wrote. "All improvements will be there, with split-screen coop on Series X. Series S will not feature split-screen co-op, but will also include cross-save progression between Steam and Xbox Series."
Thankfully, it looks like Xbox players won't have to wait too much longer to play this excellent game, but it will be one of the first games to notably drop a major feature between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions. This follows comments by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer where he said he doesn't believe Microsoft will drop support for Xbox Series S in the foreseeable future. "I want to make sure games are available on both, that's our job as a platform holder and we're committed to that with our partners," Spencer told Eurogamer. "And I think we're gonna get there with Larian. So I'm not overly worried about that, but we've learned some stuff through it. Having an entry-level price point for console, sub-$300, is a good thing for the industry."

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now for PC, launches for PS5 on September 6, and will finally come out for Xbox Series X/S before the end of 2023.

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A lot of them are available on Xbox Game Pass as well, so you can try out the best games on the system without shelling out $60 left and right. If you've already upgraded to the Xbox Series X, don't worry: The vast majority of Xbox One games work on the Series X and Series S with Microsoft's Smart Delivery program.

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Xbox chief Phil Spencer seemed to reveal the design of Xbox's upcoming cloud-focused game-streaming device in a tweet celebrating Fallout's 25th anniversary, but a Microsoft spokesperson explained in a tweet to Digital Trends that this is just an old prototype.
“The device on Phil’s shelf was an old prototype of Keystone," the Xbox representative explained. "Earlier this year, we announced that we made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration of Keystone and are taking our learnings to refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more players around the world in the future. We have nothing more to share today.”
In the tweet, Spencer congratulated Bethesda and its Fallout team for hitting this milestone and included a picture of his shelf that contains some Fallout merch. Spencer's followers quickly spotted a small, never-before-seen white Xbox device on the top shelf underneath a large sword. This small piece of technology is the old version of a game-streaming device Microsoft was developing code-named Keystone.
https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/1579495370786496512
Microsoft affirmed that Keystone was in development to Windows Central earlier this year, but also mentioned that Xbox decided to "pivot away from the current iteration" of the device. "We've been working on a game-streaming device, code name Keystone, that could be connected to any TV or monitor without the need for a console," a spokesperson told Windows Central in May 2022. "As part of any technical journey, we are constantly evaluating our efforts, reviewing our learnings, and ensuring we are bringing value to our customers. We have made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration of the Keystone device."
According to Microsoft, the device in Phil Spencer's photo is what Xbox planned on releasing before deciding to "refocus our efforts on a new approach." It's not a surprise that people thought this was going to actually be what Microsoft released, as Spencer also teased the Xbox Series S and Kojima Productions collaboration by hiding them on his shelf. For now, we'll just have to wait until Microsoft decides to share more about its new approach.