Hi-Rez Studios, the dudes behind Global Agenda and that large, more MMO-like Tribes title dubbed Tribes: Universe, will be cutting its teeth on a much smaller Tribes project before it moves on to Universe. The studio has announced a downloadable offering called Tribes: Ascend for release on both Xbox Live Arcade and PC in 2011. We don't know much about it other than it's being positioned as a multiplayer-exclusive shooter, which is kinda a given considering this is a Tribes game.

As you’ll see in the footage below, Hi-Rez isn’t backing away from the praise that Tribes titles have received over the years. You still remember Tribes 2, right? Yeah, that was a good'n. 
 
            

“Before Halo, before Modern Warfare, and before Battlefield, there was Tribes,” Hi-Rez’s COO Todd Harris said, according to PC Gamer. “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,” Harris continued in his statement. “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,” he added, boldly.