OK, I usually hate misleading question mark headlines, but look at that one. It rhymes!

That is probably the most positive thing you’re going to read in this entire post.

It sounds like Tribes Ascend is – for all intents and purposes – a done deal. Its servers will continue to run (and jump and jetpack) of course, but there hasn’t been a major update since March, and Hi-Rez is making no bones about the reason why. Games like SMITE and inferior high-flying manshoot Global Agenda 2 have taken priority, and that won’t be changing any time soon.

Hi-Rez head Todd Harris explained the situation on Tribes’ forums:

“There are no major dev updates planned for Tribes Ascend in the next six months. For the next six months our primary development focus is SMITE. Beyond that it is GA2. And beyond that a Tribes Ascend 2 would be more likely than a major update to TA; but to be clear no devs are currently working toward TA2.”

A couple new maps are apparently in the works, but those will only see the blue-tinted light of day “if time allows”.

Doesn’t exactly speak well of Hi-Rez’s commitment to long-term service, does it? Tribes Ascend officially launched on April 12, 2012 – just a little over a year ago. Meanwhile, the past six months or so were nearly bereft of substantial updates. It’s a bit strange, too, given that Hi-Rez came out the gate slinging hot patches like delicious rocket-propelled pancakes. But now? Nothing.

It makes me wonder how well Tribes performed after those initial few months, especially in light of later updates that took some of the edge off the experience curve and made the process of spending money less complicated.

I’m hoping to chat with Hi-Rez at length soon to clear up some of the whys and wherefores. Until then, though, are any of you still regular players? If not, why’d you stop?