Hi-Rez closes the book on Tribes: Ascend

Hi-Rez Studios' free-to-play shooter Tribes: Ascend has been shuttered for the second time.

The game was first abandoned in 2013, just a year after it launched, when Hi-Rez moved on to focus on hit MOBA, Smite.

After a two year hiatus, a small team resumed development on Tribes, with the game's creative director Sean McBride explaining he felt a personal responsibility to "come back and make it a better game."

McBride, however, left the studio in July this year, explaining that after 10 years of working together he and Hi-Rez were no longer "aligned."

His sudden departure left the fate of Tribes in the balance, and now it looks like the game has finally been laid to rest. 

"At this point in time Hi-Rez and myself are not aligned. In the future things may be different, but for now it's time to move on," wrote McBride on Reddit. 

"As most know, the Tribes IP has been near and dear to me as a gamer and a developer and I'm greatly saddened to leave it behind. I don't know what the future holds for Tribes: Ascend, but before I departed we planned a small patch."

That final patch, dubbed "Parting Gifts," has now been released, marking the end of Tribes' tumultuous four year journey.