Hi-Rez Studios issued the following statement:

We have a date, you heard it here first. The team is working hard for closed beta to start on Friday, November 4th, so, a few weeks away. We plan on announcing that more broadly next week, and as you may have known if you've been following us, we wanted to start in September originally, that was kind of our original plan, but there were a few adjustments that we wanted to make before beta.

Specifically, some things we've been working on are character progression elements, those were things that weren't in alpha, but will be in beta, we'll maybe get into details on some of those later, and secondly, with the changes or improvements based on feedback from the alpha testing group...Disc jump strength was one, some challenge that people had in chasing down flag cappers which is a big part of the game, basically ability to quickly gain momentum from a standstill, and even overall speed of the game."

Hi-Rez Studios acquired Tribes in October, 2010 and revealed plans to develop a massive scale, persistent world shooter called Tribes Universe.

Tribes: Ascend is a new generation of the online multiplayer shooter, incorporating classic Tribes elements such as fast-paced jetpack enabled combat, skiing, and vehicles, combined with teamwork and strategy. Tribes: Ascend is being designed by Hi-Rez Studios as a AAA free-to-play title.

Although the game is still in Closed Alpha, conference attendees will get the first public hands-on with Tribes: Ascend at Booth 333 of QuakeCon, held in Dallas, Texas from August 4th-7th 2011. Attendees can also register to win a limited number of keys to the Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta.

Hi-Rez Studios confirmed that Tribes: Ascend will be free-to-play from the day it launches.