The new service, named GameTap, will initially launch 300 games from a selection of 1,000 from 17 different publishers, with a continual roll out of new titles and programming each week. According to Turner executives, the service will offer older, popular games that are now unavailable in retail stores.
With GameTap, Turner fills a need in the industry for a viable post- retail sales channel for games, said Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development, Turner Broadcasting (TBS). We’re taking publishers’ time-honored content and re-packaging it for new and existing audiences.
Players can access the service by downloading free software from GameTap’s web site that will enable them to select games from the available list. These can then be transferred onto their hard drive.
Reports are suggesting that TBS is hoping to replicate the success of its cable television network with its foray into the digital gaming market. Indeed, Gametap’s rental subscription capabilities have led some industry observers to view the service as the iTunes of the gaming industry, competing against Napster’s To Go program, Yahoo!’s MusicMatch and RealNetworks’ updated Rhapsody.
GameTap is expected to launch this fall.
