Announcement of Tribes 3: Rivals
The gaming world is set to welcome back a legendary title with the announcement of Tribes 3: Rivals. This marks a significant return for the Tribes series, which has been a pioneer in the online shooter genre since the release of the original game, Starsiege: Tribes, 25 years ago. The series is known for its unique gameplay mechanics and has garnered a dedicated fan base over the years. The most recent installment, Tribes: Ascend, faced challenges in the market, but the new entry, Tribes 3: Rivals, is poised to reinvigorate the franchise with its classic high-speed combat and innovative features, promising a fresh yet familiar experience for both veterans and newcomers to the series.
Gameplay and Features
The core gameplay of Tribes 3: Rivals is centered around its innovative movement mechanics and strategic team-based combat. A key feature that sets the game apart is “skiing,” a technique that allows players to gain momentum by sliding down slopes. This, combined with the use of jetpacks, enables players to traverse the game’s expansive maps with exhilarating speed and agility. The primary game mode, Capture the Flag, pits two teams against each other in a high-stakes race to secure the enemy’s flag while defending their own.
Emphasizing teamwork and tactics, the game requires players to coordinate their movements and attacks to outmaneuver the opposition. The high-speed combat of Tribes 3: Rivals is a defining characteristic, demanding quick reflexes and sharpshooting skills. Players can choose from a variety of unique classes, each with customizable abilities, perks, and weapon loadouts, allowing for a personalized approach to combat and strategy.
The classes offer diverse roles on the battlefield, from agile scouts to heavily armored defenders, ensuring that every player can find a style that suits their preferences. The customization options further enhance this, providing a depth of gameplay that encourages experimentation and mastery.
With its focus on fluid movement and fast-paced action, Tribes 3: Rivals is set to deliver an intense and competitive shooter experience that rewards skill, precision, and teamwork.
Development Insights
The team at Prophecy Games has expressed a long-standing desire to revive the Tribes series, and with the announcement of Tribes 3: Rivals, they are bringing this vision to life. The resurgence of high-movement team shooters and a growing nostalgia among fans provided the perfect opportunity for the series’ return. Prophecy Games, which includes several leads from the original Tribes: Ascend team, is leveraging their expertise in physics, art, map, and level design to recreate the beloved Tribes experience.
Prophecy Games acknowledges that Tribes: Ascend serves as the “starting point” for Tribes 3: Rivals. Players familiar with the previous title will find the movement, maps, weapons, classes, and art style reminiscent of the Tribes they enjoyed before. However, the developers have taken the lessons learned from Tribes: Ascend’s monetization challenges to heart, ensuring that Tribes 3 will offer a more player-friendly economic model.
The studio’s approach to Tribes 3: Rivals is informed by past experiences, with a clear focus on avoiding the pitfalls of previous monetization strategies. By offering a straightforward purchase price and ensuring that all gameplay items are available from the start, Prophecy Games aims to create a fair and enjoyable environment for all players.
Monetization Strategy
The monetization strategy for Tribes 3: Rivals has been carefully crafted to avoid the missteps of its predecessor, Tribes: Ascend. Prophecy Games has opted for a straightforward approach, setting the base game at a price of $20. This price includes all gameplay items such as weapons, perks, and abilities, ensuring that all players have equal access to the game’s core features from the outset.
Additional content, including cosmetic items, emotes, and voice packs, will be available for purchase. Some of these items can also be unlocked through gameplay, providing players with the option to personalize their experience without necessarily spending extra money.
| Included Content | Purchasable Content |
|---|---|
| All gameplay items (weapons, perks, abilities) | Cosmetic items |
| Access to all maps and modes | Emotes |
| Base game features | Voice packs |
This monetization model is designed to ensure a fair and competitive environment for all players, with a focus on skill and strategy rather than financial investment.
Matchmaking and Accessibility
Prophecy Games is introducing new features to enhance matchmaking and accessibility in Tribes 3: Rivals. A core component of the game will be its matchmaking and ranked gameplay, which were not present in Tribes: Ascend. This updated system aims to keep matches competitive and fair, allowing players to vie for the highest ranks in a structured environment.
To assist new players in acclimating to the game’s unique mechanics, Tribes 3 will offer an in-game practice lobby, tutorial videos, and how-to guides. These tools are designed to create a more forgiving learning curve, helping newcomers to get comfortable with the basics of skiing and jetpack usage without the pressure of live combat.
The inclusion of these features demonstrates Prophecy Games’ commitment to making Tribes 3: Rivals more approachable for new players, ensuring that they can enjoy the game and improve their skills at their own pace.
Playtests and Community Engagement
Prophecy Games has outlined an ambitious plan for playtesting Tribes 3: Rivals, with the next session scheduled to run from the evening of December 7 to December 8. This playtest will feature larger match sizes than the previous 5v5 format, though specific numbers are yet to be determined. The developer expects to distribute a significantly higher number of access keys for this round of testing, reflecting the growing interest and participation from the gaming community.
Looking ahead, the full game is set to support 64-player matches in both casual and ranked play, which will include custom matches and modes. While vehicles are not currently supported, they are expected to be introduced in future updates. Although a singleplayer campaign is not planned, Prophecy Games has expressed a desire to release tools that will enable the community to create their own campaigns, further fostering player involvement and content creation.
The enthusiasm for Tribes 3: Rivals is evident, with the game’s Discord server surpassing 5,000 members in its first week and over 10,000 sign-ups for playtesting. This level of engagement bodes well for the future of the game and the Tribes community at large.
