Just some questions

So, I have some questions about Marble Blast!

1) Why did GarageGames sell their games to IAC?

2) What about Mods, like Platinum or non-engine mods?

3) What does this mean to the Forums and the game's future?

1) GarageGames had some of its shares bought by IAC years before InstantAction; likewise they had some of their games sponsored by IAC. After InstantAction started, GarageGames was renamed as TorquePowered and put as a subdivision of InstantAction, now fully acquired by IAC. When InstantAction was shut down by IAC after it was not turning in profits, it meant TorquePowered was being shut down too.

As TorquePowered had millions of dollars of debt and were being liquidated, they were looking for buyers for their titles.

IAC came in with the best offer (also thanks to owning some percentage of the titles and original company [GarageGames/TorquePowered]) and thus Marble Blast Gold among other titles were sold off.
AFAIK MiniGolf Mania was sold to its original creator though, and Legions was sold to some members of the community. Other titles went probably to IAC as well.

At the end of it, TorquePowered found a buyer to the actual company (as IAC had no intention of supporing TP, thus fully shutting them down) and that buyer re-named TorquePowered back as GarageGames. The games however... GarageGames was unable to buy them back and probably not had the funds required at this point.

2) This was a concern of this community, and I reached out to a contact I've had in TorquePowered. They had IAC respect the original purchase license/agreement of Marble Blast Gold; the original license, fyi, states that mods can be made. This means that all mods are fine for MBG.

3) We're fine. Nothing bad happening here. IAC doesn't care about the game either and they stopped all contact with every company interested in any of the games (including MB) since June 2011.

We have some hard copies of e-mail transmissions between IsraeliRD and members of GarageGames whom gave the community permission to create and distribute Marble Blast Modifications. You can check some of them out here: marbleblast.com/docs/

We haven't heard anything from IAC since ~2011 if my memory is correct. IsraeliRD reached out several times, and the only response we got back was "You're fine under the original license". Since we're not turning anything for profit and we respect the original agreements, I don't see any outstanding issues for us in the near future.

Also, we did put in a bid for the MBG ownership rights when we heard the rights to the game were up for bid. We lost, hard, because IAC has way more dollars than any of us did back in 2011.

~Aayrl

Also, we did put in a bid for the MBG ownership rights when we heard the rights to the game were up for bid. We lost, hard, because IAC has way more dollars than any of us did back in 2011. -Aayrl

Well, A company vs a hundred fans of the game on a forum website (Well I assume that for 2011).