Corporate support
The initial list of game licensees included Activision, Atari, Intellivision Lives!, Midway, Namco, Sega, and Taito. Since its inception, more companies have licensed their software, including: Eidos Interactive, G-Mode, Ubisoft, Codemasters, Vivendi Games, Konami, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Take-Two Interactive, Interplay and SNK Playmore.
On November 29, 2007, GameTap announced that on December 11 of the same year, over 70 games would be removed from their catalog, many of them Electronic Arts or Interplay titles. If the Infocard of the game in question was pulled up, it offered this reason:
"Occasionally, GameTap will rotate titles out of our catalog based on the status of publisher agreements and feedback from our members."
One prevalent theory posted on the GameTap message boards is that the two-year agreement with these companies has expired, and Turner Broadcasting System is currently re-negotiating with them.
However, on January 10, 2008 a GameTap staff member announced the return of the Humongus Games license which restored popular games such as the likes of Putt Putt and Pajama Sam back to the library.
Transfer of ownership
On August 6, 2008, Turner Broadcasting announced that they were looking to sell GameTap. On September 24, 2008, Time Warner sold the service to Paris-based Metaboli. Turner will continue to handle GameTap's operations during the transition period, which will last until 2009. After the transition, the service will be available to non-US/Canadian residents.
On March 31, 2009, the GameTap format was changed. The GameTap Player was now changed into a GameTap Plug-In; the service is now handled on the GameTap website. This transfer, has caused over half of GameTaps Subscribers to cancell, or not renew their memberships. The subscription levels were changed to Free Pack (selected handful of games for free), a new Classic Pack (reduced-price version of the full service which does not include Windows games), and Premium Pack (the Gold membership). However, due to technical issues, many features offered previously were disabled during the migration. If you have a 64-bit version of Windows, you can only play games that play on your browser such as Sega Genesis games. GameTap is currently working on a fix.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Service details
GameTap launched on 3 October 2005 with over 300 games and has now grown to over 1,000. The service was the idea of Turner employee Blake Lewin. New games are added every Thursday.
GameTap also features video programming related to video games, music, technology, and other animated shorts. A lite player is gone because it was merged with the deluxe player. As of version 3.5, the video inside the GameTap Player has been phased out and moved completely to the web.
Like many subscription music services, subscribers have access to the entire library; there is no per-game fee. Games cannot be purchased, and are automatically deactivated when the user unsubscribes from the service. A single registered account provides the option for up to eight screen names, and access to games based on ESRB ratings can be limited on a per-screen name basis. However, although the GameTap software and games can be installed on any number of computers, only two screen names under a single registration can be logged in at a time. Therefore, a subscriber can make up to seven extra "sub-accounts" that friends or family can use on any computer with GameTap installed. Users must have a broadband connection, and cannot play GameTap games while disconnected from the Internet.
Most multiplayer games can be played by two users on the same computer while many others not originally intended to be played outside of a LAN may be played over the internet by using a VPN client such as Hamachi. A limited number of games have been enhanced with an online leaderboard and challenge lobby, adding internet multiplayer to games that previously could only be played face to face. Every Monday GameTap holds a leaderboard tournament with a different game each week.
In the past, to cancel one's account, a customer had to call a GameTap representative or request cancellation through their live chat support service. Some customers (as of April 2006) had reported being pressured to stay subscribed. The ability to cancel one's account online was added to the service in October 2007, although customers were still able to call customer service or use the online chat if they so chose.
Since the takeover of Gametap by Metaboli in 2009 live technical support and/or customer service is no longer available at all. All tech and customer service issues, including cancellations, must be handled by email only, and real-time support is simply not available.
On May 1, 2007, GameTap announced that the service would change its business model somewhat. There will now be three different service levels: Visitor, Green, and Gold. The Visitor and Green levels will be free while the Gold level will require a subscription fee (pricing is the same as before). A Visitor is a non-registered member of GameTap, and has access to 30 to 40 select games through the GameTap website. These games will have banner ads when played. A Green-level member must register with GameTap (though no credit card information is required) and is given access to a few more games, and also has the option of playing them through the "Lite" GameTap player, a simplified "Deluxe" player (the old GameTap player). There will be a short ad video streamed before each game is played with a Green account. The highest tier (gold level) requires a monthly subscription($9.95) or an annual subscription ($59.95). Gold level members will still have ad-free access to all GameTap content in more or less the same way they did before the announcement.
On June 19 2007, GameTap announced a new partnership with Macrovision to make games for purchase and download through GameTap's new digital storefront where some games can be bought and played offline. Tomb Raider: Anniversary (published by Eidos Interactive) was made available on GameTap June 5—the same day it hit retail shelves.
GameTap also features video programming related to video games, music, technology, and other animated shorts. A lite player is gone because it was merged with the deluxe player. As of version 3.5, the video inside the GameTap Player has been phased out and moved completely to the web.
Like many subscription music services, subscribers have access to the entire library; there is no per-game fee. Games cannot be purchased, and are automatically deactivated when the user unsubscribes from the service. A single registered account provides the option for up to eight screen names, and access to games based on ESRB ratings can be limited on a per-screen name basis. However, although the GameTap software and games can be installed on any number of computers, only two screen names under a single registration can be logged in at a time. Therefore, a subscriber can make up to seven extra "sub-accounts" that friends or family can use on any computer with GameTap installed. Users must have a broadband connection, and cannot play GameTap games while disconnected from the Internet.
Most multiplayer games can be played by two users on the same computer while many others not originally intended to be played outside of a LAN may be played over the internet by using a VPN client such as Hamachi. A limited number of games have been enhanced with an online leaderboard and challenge lobby, adding internet multiplayer to games that previously could only be played face to face. Every Monday GameTap holds a leaderboard tournament with a different game each week.
In the past, to cancel one's account, a customer had to call a GameTap representative or request cancellation through their live chat support service. Some customers (as of April 2006) had reported being pressured to stay subscribed. The ability to cancel one's account online was added to the service in October 2007, although customers were still able to call customer service or use the online chat if they so chose.
Since the takeover of Gametap by Metaboli in 2009 live technical support and/or customer service is no longer available at all. All tech and customer service issues, including cancellations, must be handled by email only, and real-time support is simply not available.
On May 1, 2007, GameTap announced that the service would change its business model somewhat. There will now be three different service levels: Visitor, Green, and Gold. The Visitor and Green levels will be free while the Gold level will require a subscription fee (pricing is the same as before). A Visitor is a non-registered member of GameTap, and has access to 30 to 40 select games through the GameTap website. These games will have banner ads when played. A Green-level member must register with GameTap (though no credit card information is required) and is given access to a few more games, and also has the option of playing them through the "Lite" GameTap player, a simplified "Deluxe" player (the old GameTap player). There will be a short ad video streamed before each game is played with a Green account. The highest tier (gold level) requires a monthly subscription($9.95) or an annual subscription ($59.95). Gold level members will still have ad-free access to all GameTap content in more or less the same way they did before the announcement.
On June 19 2007, GameTap announced a new partnership with Macrovision to make games for purchase and download through GameTap's new digital storefront where some games can be bought and played offline. Tomb Raider: Anniversary (published by Eidos Interactive) was made available on GameTap June 5—the same day it hit retail shelves.
Gametap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). Dubbed by TBS as a "broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade, video games and game related video content. Users can play 37 free games. Subscribers are provided access to hundreds of games for either 99 cents for the 1st month and $9.95 USD a month afterward, or $79.95 USD a year.
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