Category: Gametap News

ATLANTA – July 9, 2007 – GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) announced today the opening of a West Coast office, giving the network an official home among other key players in the games industry.

Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap’s vice president of content and creative director, will oversee the office and foster continued growth of the company in San Francisco, CA. Sanchez will supervise a team of GameTap employees that focus primarily on licensing and content.

“Ricardo Sanchez has been instrumental in the tremendous growth of GameTap, spearheading our content team and leading the development of Emmy award-winning programming on GameTap TV,”

said Stuart Snyder, Turner’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media.

“Opening an office in San Francisco is a natural progression for our business and will enable our company to work closely with the local prominent gaming community, plus, help us continue to maintain greater relationships with our partners.”

In addition to its initial paid membership model that features a large library of more than 900 games from vintage to brand new titles, GameTap recently expanded to include free-to-play, ad-supported games that are accessible online for a global audience, as well as a digital storefront.

GameTap (GameTap.com), a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is the leader in digital game distribution and broadband entertainment. Launched in 2005, GameTap delivers more than 900 authentic versions of the greatest console, computer and arcade games, including original and exclusive episodic titles such as Myst Online: Uru Live, Sam & Max: Season 1, Galactic Command – Echo Squad, and American McGee’s Grimm. Visitors to GameTap.com can play free games on its ad-supported website, purchase top PC and catalog titles from its digital retail storefront, and tune into GameTap TV’s original programming that includes Retrospective documentaries and new Re\Visioned animated series. GameTap paid members receive unlimited access to its massive library titles, community and multiplayer features, original games, and content.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, 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.

Intel Mac users gain access to hundreds of titles through TransGaming’s Cider technology

ATLANTA – July 5, 2007 – GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) announced today that it is expanding its offerings to the Mac community. Intel-based Mac users now have access to GameTap’s Lite Player, which offers more than 500 titles to play from GameTap’s massive library of new and classic video games, as well as more than 600 streaming videos of original programming from GameTap TV.

“Mac users will now be able to enjoy hundreds of games that have never been playable on a Mac before,”

said Stuart Snyder, Turner’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media.

“GameTap’s expansion into the Mac community reflects our commitment to being the premier destination for people who love to play games.”

This expansion to the Mac community comes on the heels of GameTap’s newly launched, free-to-play, ad supported service that allows players to sample a rotating selection of their favorite titles, and access to more than 600 streaming videos of original programming through GameTap TV.

Among the games that Mac users are now able to access are Metal Slug, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Neo Turf Masters, and King of Fighters ‘95. In addition, gamers can watch exclusive content from GameTap TV, including original streaming videos and interview segments with My Chemical Romance, Akon, Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, and GameTap’s Digital Downlow, their popular daily news show.

The availability of GameTap for the Mac is made possible through the use of TransGaming’s Cider portability engine, which enables PC games to run on Intel-based Macs. With TransGaming’s Cider technology, all of GameTap’s free and Gold level membership features will run on all Intel-based Macs including Mac Books and Mac Minis.

“The availability of GameTap on Mac represents an amazing inflection point for Mac gamers. GameTap is a great boon to the gaming world and it’s wonderful that GameTap is making their content available to the thriving Mac community,”

said Vikas Gupta, CEO and President of TransGaming.

“We worked with GameTap to bring Myst Online: Uru Live to Mac players and we’re pleased to be working with GameTap on a larger scale to bring some of the greatest video games to the Mac.”

Later this summer, Mac users will receive access to GameTap’s Deluxe Player, which offers a richer game environment, with full-screen gameplay, customizable control settings, the ability to download games while playing another, and more. To experience GameTap for the Mac please visit www.gametap.com, and your first month of a Gold level membership is only 99 cents.

TransGaming is a leader in the development of unique software portability products that allow game developers and publishers to develop games for one system and deploy them across multiple platforms. Supported platforms range from Linux, Mac to consoles and next generation systems. TransGaming is a registered Microsoft Xbox developer and a licensed Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable developer. TransGaming is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and maintains a research and development center in Ottawa, Canada. More information about the company can be obtained at www.transgaming.com.

GameTap (GameTap.com), a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is the leader in digital game distribution and broadband entertainment. Launched in 2005, GameTap delivers more than 900 authentic versions of the greatest console, computer and arcade games, including original and exclusive episodic titles such as Myst Online: Uru Live, Sam & Max: Season 1, Galactic Command – Echo Squad, and American McGee’s Grimm. Visitors to GameTap.com can play free games on its ad-supported website, purchase top PC and catalog titles from its digital retail storefront, and tune into GameTap TV’s original programming that includes Retrospective documentaries and new Re\Visioned animated series. GameTap paid members receive unlimited access to its massive library titles, community and multiplayer features, original games, and content.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, 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

GameTap’s website has recieved an update with the addition of new features, one of which being the “Connect” forums which use members GameTap logins (TapID).

Support for billing/account changes for customers outside the USA and Canada are also being implimented. As the service moves to being available internationally (not fully implimented yet though guys and gals).

• GameTap Site

GameTap is now offering Visitor Accounts for Uru Live, this means people can try the game out for free, however with some limitations in place. Visitor accounts will have access to Relto, The Cleft, The Nexus, Gahreesen (the small area from the Link in point to the KI dispenser) and a Neighborhood. Players will also be able to create one avatar with limited customization options.
The GameTap trial will also include 5 preselected games, 4 games of your choice and the current week’s GameTap TV program.

• Gametap limited Trial

People who have both a GameTap paid account and an Uru beta account and want to cancel their current GameTap account and start paying on their beta account (to prevent any game progress loss), need to email me ( warzecha@cyan.com ) with the following info by Jan. 31

Subject Line: Merging accounts.

Customer name
Screen name of current paid account to be cancelled
Email address of current paid account to be cancelled
Screen name of beta account to be transferred to paid account status
Email address of beta account to be transferred to paid account status

Example – I started paying for GameTap last summer. This fall I got a beta code to play Myst Online. I made a new account and have used that account to log into Myst Online. All my player progress is on that account. Since closed Beta will be ending soon I am worried about what will happen to that character.

Let me clarify that this is only for people currently paying for a GameTap account and NOT for people who just want to transition their current beta account to a full paid account. (Those instructions will come at a later date.)

Thanks!!

Ryan

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