Tribes: Ascend scheduled for XBLA, PC this year

Prior to being shut down by IAC late last year, InstantAction (aka GarageGames) sold off the rights to its highest-profile gaming franchise, Tribes, to Global Agenda creator Hi-Rez Studios. And as could be expected, Hi-Rez intends to put that IP to use, announcing today at PAX East that it plans to bring Tribes: Ascend to the PC and Xbox 360 during the latter part of this year.

Hi-Rez is crafting Tribes: Ascend as a successor to Tribes 2, which received wide acclaim upon its release for the PC in 2001. The game will make use of Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 middleware--not GarageGames' Torque engine--and Hi-Rez hopes to maintain the game's signature gameplay of fast-paced online shooter action that emphasizes teamwork and strategy.

The original Starsiege Tribes from Dynamix was named one of GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time, thanks in large part to innovative online features. Dynamix officially shuttered in 2001 after the release of Tribes 2, though Sierra Entertainment released two more installments in the franchise: 2002's Tribes Aerial Assault (PS2) and 2004's Tribes: Vengeance (PC).

Hi-Rez plans to release Tribes: Ascend as a downloadable offering. The studio also said that the game will serve as a precursor to Tribes Universe, which Hi-Rez described as a "massive-scale, persistent world shooter."

The first teaser trailer for Tribes: Ascend can be found below.