Tribes Returns as Multiplayer-Only Game in 2011

Georgia-based Hi-Rez Studios is currently working on two Tribes titles, a multiplayer-only game and an MMO.

Friday during PAX East, Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios said that it's currently working on a new installment to the Tribes franchise called Tribes: Ascend.

This will the first new Tribes game to be released since Tribes: Vengeance hit the PC way back in 2004. The news also follows a previous announcement that the studio acquired the actual Tribes IP back in October 2010, and is currently working on a Tribes-based MMO called Tribes Universe.

According to the studio, Tribes: Ascend will be the official multiplayer successor to 2001's Tribes 2, and will be brought to the PC as a digital download using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. The game will also arrive on the Xbox 360 console, launching alongside the PC version when they both go live sometime in late 2011. Additional platforms are currently under consideration, the studio said.

"Before Halo, before Modern Warfare, and before Battlefield, there was Tribes," said 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."

For the moment, little else is known about either Tribes title. However, check out the teaser clip of Tribes: Ascend, included below.