Long-time readers of Penny Arcade are well aware of Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and Jerry “Tycho” Holkins’ love-hate relationship with the Tribes franchise. So it should come as no surprise that Hi-Rez Studios has used the first day of the PAX East expo to announce Tribes: Ascend, the next game in the multiplayer shooter series. The publisher has also unveiled the game’s debut trailer, which you can see above.
Hi-Rez considers the Unreal Engine 3-powered Tribes: Ascend as the true successor to Tribes 2 and considers the game “a re-introduction of the franchise to the gaming world.”
“Before Halo, before Modern Warfare, and before Battlefield, there was Tribes.”, says Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios COO. “Tribes fans appreciate the game’s essence – athletic FPS combat combined with teamwork and strategy. As we began development of Tribes Universe, we focused first on capturing that essence – refining and modernizing iconic elements like jetpacks, skiing, and vehicles. We’ve had tremendous fun play-testing and realized the potential of a multiplayer focused title ahead of Tribes Universe. The community has been waiting for a multi-player shooter that is the modern successor to T2. Tribes: Ascend is that game.”
Tribes: Ascend will be released towards the end of the year as a downloadable title for the PC and Xbox Live Arcade. Releasing the game on “additional platforms” is also being considered.
