LOS ANGELES, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Gamers, publishers and the broader
interactive entertainment industry will get a first look at GameTap, the new
broadband entertainment network announced late last month by Turner
Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), a Time Warner company. Turner will
demonstrate GameTap at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, May 18-20th -- in
the Staples Center's Lakers Conference Room.
The first network of its kind, GameTap allows subscribers to access a
large vault of games, from the early arcades all the way through console games
and PC titles, using a broadband-connected PC. The network, which will also
feature original Turner programming, will launch this fall.
Turner to date has licensed nearly 1,000 games from 17 publishers,
including Activision, Atari, Eidos Interactive, G-Mode, Intellivision Lives,
Midway, Namco, SEGA, TAITO, Team 17, Ubisoft and Vivendi Universal Games.
GameTap will launch with 300 games, from Pong, Pac-Man and Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell, to Sonic and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. New titles and
programming will be added each week.
"After months of hard work by more than a hundred programmers, producers
and graphic artists, this is a milestone for us at Turner -- a chance for
gamers to finally get their hands on GameTap," said Blake Lewin, GameTap's
inventor and vice president of product development and innovation. "While we
are still porting games and signing publishers, GameTap is finally in dress
rehearsal, and we can't wait to see the audience response."
At its Staples Center meeting room, Turner will preview its downloadable
proprietary GameTap software, which acts as a gateway to the GameTap vault.
The multi-level vault is divided into "rings" that organize the collection.
Rings include "hot picks" and user favorites, as well as games organized by
genre and platform. Once selected, each title displays an associated
"InfoCard" that includes directions for playing, control options, and
"cheats," as well as parental controls (the vault contains "E," "E10+" and "T"
titles, only) and top scores from the GameTap community.
Because games reside securely on the PC, not across a network, they play
as if they were still on the console or at the arcade, with fast response
times, 3D effects, and original colors and characters. GameTap supports
navigation and game play using both keyboard and mouse, as well as most USB
peripherals. Like a premium channel, subscribers will pay a flat monthly fee
for an "all-you-can-play" experience on up to two household PCs. Pricing has
not been announced.
Turner will also preview its original programming now under development
for GameTap. The streaming video content is expected to include an all-
GameTap mix of short segments, advertisements, interviews, celebrity features,
and "game trailers." Delivered via streaming video, the programming "will
celebrate games in the same way that Cartoon Network celebrates animation and
TCM celebrates classic films," said Andrew T. Heller, president of domestic
distribution for Turner.
Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development for Turner,
noted that, for the gaming industry, GameTap fills the need for a viable post-
retail sales channel. "While a film can go from theater to premium channel,
from DVD to Turner Classic Movies, games -- even great ones -- have had a much
shorter lifespan," he said. "Publishers are embracing GameTap because we are
giving the kind of longevity to gaming titles now enjoyed by movies, songs and
books."
About Turner
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major
producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading
provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
SOURCE Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tnt.tv
CONTACT:
Christa Bailey, +1-760-918-9015, or
cbailey@accesspr.com, or Molly Musler, +1-415-844-6230, or
mmusler@accesspr.com , both of Access Communications for GameTap
; or Misty Skedgell of TBS, Inc., +1-404-885-4396, or
misty.skedgell@turner.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: Turner executives will be available for
interviews at the Staples Center's Lakers Conference Room, May
18-20, 9am-4pm. To arrange an appointment, please contact:
Christa Bailey, +1-760-918-9015, or cbailey@accesspr.com , or
Molly Musler, +1-415-844-6230, or mmusler@accesspr.com , both of
Access Communications for GameTap ; or Misty Skedgell of TBS,
Inc., +1-404-885-4396, or misty.skedgell@turner.com
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