GameTap Axes Derek Smart Publishing Deal

GameTap will no longer be publishing Derek Smart's episodic game series, the company revealed to Gamasutra.

Announced in early 2007, Galactic Command: Echo Squad was originally slated to be a four-part space-sim series created by Battlecruiser designer Derek Smart. Much like Telltale's Sam & Max games and American McGee's Grimm, it was to be released through GameTap's digital distribution platform as part of the company's Originals line.

"It was a good game, it was very solid, but as we were going through, it ended up not being the right title for our audience," explained GameTap content VP Ricardo Sanchez. "We thought it would succeed better with Derek's core base."

Despite the termination of the publishing agreement, Sanchez remained extremely positive about the project, and noted that Smart is still planning to release. According to the game's dev blog, all four episodes of Echo Squad were completed and delivered to GameTap owner Turner in June 2007.

"It was a tough call. I think it's one of the strongest games ever made," Sanchez noted. "I honestly think it's one of Derek's strongest games."

After the completion of Bravo Squad, developer 3000AD then began work on Galactic Command: Talon Elite, a fleshed-out sequel Smart claimed would "re-invent the space sim genre." A third Galactic Command game, Bravo Team, is planned to arrive in late 2009.