Tribes: Ascend Only Receiving PC Release This Year

Global Agenda developer Hi-Rez Studios has revealed that its upcoming Tribes revitalization will now be coming to PC first, with original plans to release an Xbox Live Arcade version put on hold. The company announced last year that it had acquired the cult-favorite first-person shooter Tribes franchise, and in March revealed plans to launch a first-person shooter called Tribes: Ascend. Originally planned for both PC and Xbox 360 release, the free-to-play shooter is now only coming to PC this year, with possible Xbox and PSN releases in the future. "An eventual XBLA version -- and even PSN version -- is not out of the question but neither will be this year," a Hi-Rez spokesperson told consumer gaming site GameSpot. Originally introduced with Starsiege: Tribes for Windows in 1998 by Dynamix and Sierra On-Line, the sci-fi first-person shooter series was praised for its emphasis on teamwork strategies, vehicles, jetpacks, and support for a large numbers of players. Tribes: Ascend will feature a freemium system similar to the business model recently adopted by Valve's Team Fortress 2.