Fixed a crash that happened when you enable/disable statues during a Ninja Party game

A tiny bug fix to make HIPS work in Turkey. Google the "Turkey capital I problem" for details

I have opened the beta testing for the new version of Hidden in Plain Sight to the public for the Windows version of the game.

If you opt into the beta, you will be able to play online with up to 8 players total. There is a limitation to four Xbox-type controllers per machine, however. I have also added keyboard support.

This is absolutely a BETA. There will be bugs! There will be sync issues! There will be crashes! And this is a good thing. This means that you are helping me find these issues before rolling this out as a full release.

To get into the beta:
Right-click on the game in your library
Choose Properties
Choose Betas
Choose "Super Secret Online Beta" from the dropdown.

This should update your game to the new version. To leave the beta, choose "None" from that same dropdown.


Please post in the new Hidden in Plain Sight Online Beta forum if you find issues! And if you don't find any issues, please tell me that, too! I'm really anxious about this and want to your success stories.

THANK YOU for your help testing this!

Hidden in Plain Sight came out nearly 10 years ago for the Xbox Live Indie Gaming platform.

With respect to online gaming, that was a completely different time and place The Xbox only allowed four players maximum. We didn't have Discord or other voice/video chat software easily available. For that and other reasons, HIPS was made as a local multiplayer game. And it has thrived beyond what I ever expected, thanks to you!

Over the years, the two biggest requests/complaints have been "support more than four players" and "we want to play it online!" In order to make that happen, I would need to do a full top-to-bottom rewrite of the game.

And, well, I've just done a full top-to-bottom rewrite of the game.

The game is the essentially the same. Same game modes. Same crummy graphics. A few little tweaks here and there, but the same basic game.

The difference is that the Windows version of Hidden in Plain Sight will soon support 2-8 players and online play. That could be all local players, one player per computer, or small groups of local players joining other groups of local players.

I swore up and down for years that HIPS would always be a local multiplayer game. The fact is, with online voice and video chat so accessible these days, you really can get a very good, intimate experience playing online with friends. It's not quite the same. Nothing will replace being in the same room with friends. But for times when that isn't possible, this works.

There is a closed beta going on at the moment while I get rid of some final bugs. Then I plan to do an open beta for final testing. And if everything looks good, this version will replace the current version.

Note that this will just be a free, full in-place update to the existing game.

This only applies to Windows for now (hopefully with Mac and Linux to follow). Switch, Xbox One, and other platforms will remain local multiplayer for the foreseeable future.

Comments/questions/concerns? Let me know what you think.

I never like the "Touch all the Five Statues" win condition on Ninja Party. The game always ended suddenly with a lot of question marks.

I have modified the rules of Ninja Party.

The original Ninja Party has been renamed "Ninja Party Classic".

Let me know what you think!

I added a new game mode to Hidden in Plain Sight. It's called "Ninja Battle Royale."

It's basically Ninja Party, minus the statutes, and adding a shrinking circle.

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes. It might be totally dumb, but at least it was free, right? I think it has the potential for a few laughs.

Hidden in Plain Sight is now available on the Xbox One. Find it in the Creators Collection in the Xbox One Games marketplace.

(Just in case there are any Xbox One owners out there reading this...)

I don't really know what else to say. If you like the game, please help spread the word!