Torchlight Headlines Xbox Live Arcade 2011 House Party

Microsoft is throwing an Xbox Live Arcade House Party this spring, and its guest of honor will be Runic Games' PC action RPG hit, Torchlight.

Microsoft and the former Diablo developers at Runic Games made the surprise announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, detailing the XBLA House Party lineup, headlined by Torchlight and including Hard Corps: Uprising, Full House Poker, Bejeweled Blitz Live, and Beyond Good & Evil HD.


"We couldn't be happier to bring Torchlight to Xbox Live Arcade," Runic CEO Max Schaefer said in a statement. "This is what the fans have been asking for. Torchlight for the Xbox 360 is a new way to experience a great game, and we're thrilled to work with Microsoft to bring it to fruition."

To date, Torchlight has sold more than 750,000 copies on PC and Mac and a sequel featuring co-op play is now in development. The Xbox 360 version of the game will feature a new user interface and control system -- control is direct and virtual cursors are gone. And the only thing from the PC version that will not make it to the 360 is secondary weapon sets.

The 2011 XBLA House Party begins on February 16 with the launch of Konami's 2D side-scroller Hard Corps: Uprising. The remaining games will be released over the following five weeks, culminating with Torchlight in mid March.

As of now, the console version of Torchlight will be an Xbox 360 exclusive; Runic said there are no plans for a PlayStation 3 version. Pricing and a specific release date were not announced.