Tribes 3: Rivals bought everybody excited with a wonderful Steam Subsequent Fest demo this February that prompt, perhaps this time, the revival would stick. The sport launched into early entry on March 12, 2024, promising a “rebirth” of the beloved first-person sport-slash-shooter with a easy enterprise mannequin: $20 upfront value, and no microtransactions.
It hasn’t gone effectively. Per SteamDB, there are at present 27 gamers in Tribes 3: Rivals. The best variety of simultaneous gamers the sport has had was at launch: 890.
Now there is a surprisingly titled publish on the Tribes 3: Rivals Steam web page that seems to be even worse information for gamers: “Giving Again to Tribes 3 & Starsiege: Deadzone Gamers.” The be aware is addressed to the neighborhood and is basically a approach of claiming the loud half very quietly.
Developer Prophecy says it is “providing credit to all gamers who made purchases in Starsiege: Deadzone or Tribes 3 up to now.” Starsiege: Deadzone is an extraction shooter that launched in July final yr, made by the identical developer. Prophecy says these credit shall be issued in direction of its new recreation, Extremely Strikers, a cartoony 3vs3 sports activities shooter that does not at present have a launch date.
Mainly any cash folks have spent on these video games can now be used 1:1 in direction of shopping for Extremely Strikers which is… higher than nothing, I suppose, however 1,000,000 miles away from a refund. And it is a part of what makes this announcement so bizarre, as a result of primarily what Prophecy is right here to say is: look, it hasn’t labored out, and we won’t maintain supporting Tribes 3. As an alternative that is couched by way of the studio gifting gamers credit for cash spent on Tribes.
Relatively a multitude, in different phrases, and Tribes 3’s Steam critiques are being hit as we converse (although they weren’t nice to start with, primarily as a result of problem of discovering different gamers).
In direction of the top of the announcement Prophecy almost-but-not-quite says that Tribes 3 is completed. “We’re doing our greatest to help Tribes 3 with restricted updates (together with an upcoming low cost sale to herald extra gamers), and plan to return to Starsiege Deadzone as soon as the corporate has the sources, however sadly neither recreation had sufficient success but to help the studio and might’t be our essential improvement focus proper now (as a lot as we love them).”
Prophecy cannot convey itself to simply say the plain, although absolutely each participant will get the message. This was not the revival we have been hoping for. I’ve some sympathy for Prophecy, inasmuch as these participant numbers are dire and it might take a Lazarus-level comeback for Tribes 3 to stay a going concern. However on the identical time, if there have been ever a time for clear communication about an early entry recreation, it is when the choice has been made to show off life help. Farewell then, Tribes 3: Rivals. We barely knew ye. See you in a decade for Tribes 4.
