Source: A recent report on gaming news site Shacknews.

　　What we heard: Last month, independent games stalwart GarageGames announced it had been acquired by IAC, better known as the parent company of such big-name brands as Ticketmaster, LendingTree, Match.com, and Ask.com. In addition to the acquisition, GarageGames announced InstantAction, an online portal designed to offer a variety of Web browser-based games from a number of studios. Wideload Shorts, a division of former Bungie boss Alex Seropian's Wideload Games, recently announced that its space shooter Cyclomite, which has a heavy emphasis on multiplayer action, would be a launch game for the service.

　　Wideload's support will certainly go a long way toward launching the gaming portal, but GarageGames may have a new angle to draw the attention of online first-person shooter enthusiasts. Shacknews is reporting that a source close to GarageGames has confirmed that the developer is readying a "Tribes-like shooter" for InstantAction. Shacknews' source also revealed that development was only two months in, "but the cycle should be relatively short compared to most projects."

　　Named one of GameSpot's Greatest Games of All Time, Starsiege Tribes from Dynamix revolutionized the online FPS scene when it debuted in 1998 by incorporating for the first time many features that have since become standard practice. Though Dynamix was officially shuttered in 2001 after the release of Tribes 2, that didn't stop Sierra from releasing two more Tribes games--2002's Tribes Aerial Assault (PS2) and 2004's Tribes: Vengeance (PC). It should be noted that many key Dynamix members set up shop at GarageGames in 2000.

　　The official story: "No comment."--A GarageGames rep.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Leaning not bogus. GarageGames is certainly the studio to do the job, given its heritage, and a shooter in the vein of Tribes seems like an ideal fit to help establish the fledgling InstantAction. Although, considering the complexity of Tribes, a Web-browser-based game that could do justice to the original seems more than a bit suspect.