A new listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board's website reveals that a downloadable version of Introversion Software's lo-fi action-strategy hybrid Darwinia (PC) is coming to the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade.

The listing uncovered on the ESRB's website notes an Xbox Live Arcade version of Darwinia alongside its Windows PC counterpart. An XBLA port of the title has been rumored as far back as 2006, but both Microsoft and the developers have remained quiet about Darwinia's appearance on the platform.

Mixing elements of strategy, action, God games and other genres, Darwinia tasks players with guiding artificially intelligent beings to safety inside a highly stylized and Tron-like computerized environment. The game was developed by indie developer Introversion, whose other PC works include DEFCON and the hacker sim Uplink.

No official announcement of Darwinia on Xbox Live Arcade has yet been made. Shacknews has reached the developer for confirmation, but has not heard back as of this writing.

Over at FileShack you can find new patches for Darwinia. The 1.42 update for Windows XP adds a difficulty setting to the Options menu, while the Vista patch offers graphical improvements and support for the Xbox 360 controller.

Independent UK-based developer Introversion made big waves with its second title Darwinia, the highly stylized real-time strategy game set in a virtual world. Darwinia only supports one player, but Introversion today announced that it is currently developing a followup multiplayer version of the game, fittingly entitled Multiwinia. Introversion core team member John Knottenbelt will head up the game as lead designer, as company creative director Chris Delay focuses elsewhere, presumably on Introversion's next original title.

"We've always known that Darwinia would naturally evolve into an incredible multiplayer game and right from day one I'd had visions of massive Darwinian armies converging for the ultimate Darwinian death-fest," said Delay. "Multiwinia will be a great game, not only for those who knew and loved Darwinia, but also for complete newcomers."

Multiwinia will feature its own new set of game modes and levels spanning cooperative and competitive play. The game's distinctive and attractive flat-textured visual style will be retained, though various technical upgrades are in the works for the graphics. New gameplay additions include the ability to group Darwinians into large ranked units, focusing and intensifying their firepower in a given direction while leaving their ranks and rear vulnerable. "It's going to get pretty messy, requiring a whole new set of tactical skills from the gamer," said Knottenbelt.

Introversion did not announce an expected release period for Multiwinia.

Update: Introversion confirmed to Shacknews that it is planning a 2008 release for Multiwinia. A company representative indicated that the studio is interested in again using Valve's Steam platform for its distribution but does not yet have any definite plans in that area.

The Darwinina website has the announcement that this indie built multi-genre game is heading to Steam. The game will be available on Valve's content delivery system December 14, at a price of $19.95.

Next Generation has an interview with Chris Delay, lead designer on Introversion's Darwinia. Despite critical attention and success in the UK, the game described by its designer as "Cannon-Fodder meets Lemmings, with a Tron theme" has yet to secure a North American publisher.