Gamers who visit GameTap.com can now stay to play—for free. The broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System has launched a free-to-play, ad-supported service that is accessible to more players—expanding beyond North America to reach a global audience. GameTap also announced the debut of its digital store, featuring a large library of titles from vintage to brand new.
“We’ve opened the door even wider—so that practically anyone with a broadband connection can give GameTap a spin,” said Stuart Snyder, Turner’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media. “We want people to sample not just the massive library of GameTap titles, but the adrenalin rush that attracted over 20 million game plays last year.”
The free service provides access to a rotating sample of GameTap’s library of more than 900 video games, including Metal Slug, Joust, Robotron: 2084, Rampage, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend, Scrapland, King of Fighters, Bust-A-Move, and Space Invaders. Games can be played on a drop-in basis, with even broader access to PC, Dreamcast and Saturn titles for players who register. No credit card or financial commitment is required. Visitors also have free access to hundreds of GameTap TV streaming videos, including interview segments with My Chemical Romance, Akon, Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, and many others.
The full-strength, all-you-can-play version of GameTap remains available to subscribers in the United States and Canada with unlimited access to more than 900 games, including GameTap Originals like Sam & Max: Season 1 and Myst Online: Uru Live, as well as GameTap Indies titles and a host of other hits like Panzer Dragoon, Deus Ex, Galaga, Civilization III, and Street Fighter Alpha 3. Paid members can also view GameTap TV’s web-based content and select programs from Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. The service is completely ad-free during game sessions and is available for as low as $6.95 a month. A Mac version will be released later this summer.
Today also marks the grand opening of GameTap’s digital online retail store, selling the best video game titles for digital download. With more than 450 titles, the store offers both classic games and new releases – including Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, which is available for purchase June 5th, the same day it hits retail shelves. Examples of other titles available for purchase now include Space Empires IV Deluxe, Civilization IV, Psychonauts, and Resident Evil 3.