Tribes: Ascend back-burnered on Xbox Live

When Global Agenda creator Hi-Rez Studios first announced it would be reviving the pioneering Tribes franchise, the game was planned as a full retail release for Xbox Live and the PC later this year. However, over the past several months, those plans have changed, most notably with Hi-Rez's decision to turn Tribes: Ascend into a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported shooter.

Now, Hi-Rez has also tweaked how it plans to release the game. Today, the studio confirmed for GameSpot that it has back-burnered the Xbox Live version of the game in favor of throwing its entire weight behind the PC edition.

Hi-Rez is not ruling out the Xbox Live version entirely; indeed, the studio is also considering a PlayStation Network release for the free-to-play title. "An eventual XBLA version--and even PSN version--is not out of the question but neither will be this year," the Hi-Rez representative told GameSpot.

As with its predecessors, Tribes: Ascend will focus on large-scale, fast-paced sci-fi combat. The game's free-to-play model sees players rotating between a number of different equipment loadouts, which include heavy, medium, and light armor and supplies. Alternatively, players will be able to purchase the loadouts they wish to continue playing with.

For more on Tribes: Ascend, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.