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.

Cyan Worlds' Myst Online: Uru Live (PC) is scheduled to be removed from GameTap's on-demand gaming service in April, according to GameTap content VP Ricardo Sanchez.

On the GameTap forums Sanchez explained that the plug was pulled for "business reasons". Myst Online: Uru Live has been operational for just under a year, having gone online via GameTap's subscription service on February 15, 2007.

Sanchez also assured fans and subscribers that GameTap's relationship with Cyan Worlds remains amiable despite Uru Live's closure. "Cyan is still a very valued partner of GameTap," he wrote. "We are on excellent terms, and we look ... Read more

GameTap, the Turner Broadcasting-owned PC digital distribution platform, will celebrate the addition of its 1,000th game on November 15. With the milestone less than a month away, the lead-up will be marked by a number of high profile game releases for paying members.

Subscribers will gain access to Mercury Steam's creepy shooter Clive Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, X360) on October 23, the same day it hits retail. The conclusion to the current season of Cyan Worlds' episodic series Myst Online: Uru Live (PC) follows November 1, with the second season of Telltale Games' episode-based adventure franchise Sam & Max (PC) beginning November 8.

Along with its new and original games, GameTap will continue adding older PC and console titles to its lineup each week. Codemasters' ... Read more

Sega's Clockwork Knight, the company's toy-oriented side scrolling Saturn launch title, marks one of the three latest additions to GameTap's expansive lineup.

Subscribers of the Turner Broadcasting-owned PC service will be able to stream the new titles, the other two of which are Frictional Games' PC survival horror adventure Penumbra Overture and Sixteen Tons Entertainment's strategic PC disaster simulator Emergency 3, beginning today.

The company will also be updating the rotation of its free ad-supported offerings with 27 more PC and console titles, bringing the total number of current free-to-play games to 43. The new games are as follows:... Read more

An international English-language version of GameTap is planned for release in the "beginning of 2008," GameTap VP of content Ric Sanchez told Shacknews today.

Owned by Turner Broadcasting System, GameTap and its collection of digitally distributed PC games have, thus far, only been available to those within the United States and Canada. Its offerings include nearly a thousand different games, spanning original titles such as Telltale Games' Sam & Max series and American McGee's upcoming Grimm, along with classic PC series like Ultima and Wing Commander and more modern releases from such companies as Codemasters and Eidos. The service also provides a number of old console games via emulation, ranging from Atari 2600 to Saturn and Dreamcast titles.

No further details were provided in regards to the international edition. In the US, a monthly subscription starts at $9.99, with price breaks provided for those that pre-pay in larger increments. A free ad-support edition of GameTap, containing a small selection of its offerings and supported by advertising, was rolled out earlier this year.

GameTap and Codemasters today announced a multi-year agreement that will see Codemasters PC titles appear exclusively on the Turner Broadcasting System-owned digital distribution service.

The deal spans recent Codemasters-published releases, such as the internally developed racer DiRT (PC, X360) and Triumph Studios' strategy action-adventure hybrid Overlord (PC, X360), as well as impending releases, including MercurySteam's spooky first person shooter Clive Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, X360) and Spark Unlimited's alternate history FPS Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PC, PS3, X360).

The games will be available from both GameTap's subscription-based service and its online store. Upcoming Codemasters titles will arrive ... Read more

The episodic adventures of Steve Purcell's adorable freelance police duo Sam & Max will continue this fall, developer Telltale Games announced today.

As with the first season, episodes of Sam & Max Season Two will premiere on GameTap, the Turner Broadcasting-owned subscription-based digital distribution platform. Gamers will then be able to purchase and download individual episodes from Telltale's website the day after they debut on GameTap, instead of waiting two weeks as they did with Season One.

"Season One was a great success, but it's just a starting ... Read more

GameTap today officially announced a partnership with game designer American McGee (pictured left) and American McGee's Spicy Horse studio to distribute American McGee's next game, American McGee's Grimm, through the online GameTap service. As American McGee revealed earlier this month in a now-removed blog post, the action-adventure American McGee's Grimm will be released on a per-episode basis and consist of 24 total episodes.

Each episode of American McGee's Grimm will be based off a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale--such as Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, or Snow White--with a dark and distinctive American McGee-esque twist, much ... Read more

Turner Broadcasting-owned GameTap has announced three significant developments for its PC digital distribution service: a deal with publisher Eidos to make games available on GameTap the day they hit stores, an online retail store offering games via digital download, and a free selection of GameTap titles on GameTap.com.

Beginning with the release of the Eidos-published, Crystal Dynamics-developed Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary (PS2, PSP, PC) later this year, GameTap subscribers will be able to download select games the same day they make their US retail debut. Said games will also appear on GameTap's new online retail store, which will allow users to purchase and download games instead of ... Read more

GameTap today announced a number of additions to its game library, which now contains over 850 titles. Most notable among the new titles are Origin Systems' DOS-based space flight sim Wing Commander and the service's first Sega Saturn game, Realtime Associates' platformer Bug!, with more Saturn games said to be on the way. Last week, Sega announced that in September it will be discontinuing repair service for its Saturn and Dreamcast consoles, both of which are emulated through GameTap.

Other games added recently include Enlight Interactive's PC RTS Warlords Battlecry III, GarageGames' action-based ThinkThanks, and Sega's SG-1000 puzzler Doki Doki Penguin Land. Sega's SG-1000 was the company's first game console, released only in Japan in 1983.

The GameTap client can be found at the service's official site, with subscriptions ranging from $6.95 to $9.95 a month depending on the commitment made. Currently, those who opt for the monthly payment plan will receive their first month for $0.99.

Turner Broadcasting's GameTap service is primarily known as a subscription service for playing legacy games, but it has been investing increasingly more into new game development as well. Through its GameTap Original program, it currently features Telltale Games' Sam & Max episodes and has kickstarted development of Cyan Worlds' previously cancelled Myst Online: Uru Live; it recently also announced a development deal with notorious designer Derek Smart.

Today, GameTap announced a new program intended to foster independent development: GameTap Indies. Under the label, games will be featured on the GameTap service and promoted along with its GameTap Original games. To start off the program, GameTap will be sponsoring an award to be presented during this year's Independent Games Festival, help annually during the Game Developers Conference. The GameTap Indie Award will be given to three developers, who will receive a GameTap Indie distribution offer. The primary winner will be offered $10,000 and a five-year contract, while the other two winners will each be offered $5,000 and a five-year contract.

The GameTap Indie Award will be presented during the Independent Game Festival, which precedes the Game Developers Choice Awards at this year's Game Developers Conference on March 7 in San Francisco.

Uru Live, the online component of Cyan's 2003 title Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, was taken down by publisher Ubisoft in 2004. Recently, subscription-based game download service GameTap announced that it would be reviving Uru Live. Gametap mainly offers a growing selection of classic titles but now also is becoming increasingly involved in new projects, such as partially funding the Sam & Max episodic adventure games. Today, an open beta of Myst Online: Uru Live was launched, allowing GameTap subscribers to play a pre-release version of the game. In conjunction with the beta, GameTap is currently offering a promotion that confers a month of GameTap service for $0.99, after which it defaults to the regular monthly price of $9.95.

Developer Telltale Games and game download subscription service GameTap announced that Telltale's upcoming Sam & Max episodic game series will debut on GameTap this holiday season before later being available for standalone purchase directly from Telltale. The agreement also institutes GameTap as a producer on the title.

"GameTap is all about great games, so we're thrilled that the first GameTap-produced title and the first brand new game to debut on our service is a 'Sam and Max' episodic series," said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap's vice president of content. "We're also very excited to be working with Telltale Games to pioneer episodic game development."

"GameTap is a great fit for Sam & Max," said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "They have a tremendous amount of respect for the series, and their online channel makes them an ideal partner for episodic content. We look forward to our collaborations for accelerating innovation in the interactive entertainment space."

Steve Purcell's Sam & Max property began life as an independent comic, and has also seen life an an animated television series, but it is best known among gamers for the classic 1993 adventure Sam & Max Hit the Road from LucasArts. Telltale Game was founded largely by former LucasArts employees following the 2004 cancellation of Hit the Road's sequel, Freelance Police. The current Sam & Max game in development by Telltale, however, has no relationship to the cancelled LucasArts game. It is being planned as a series of episodes, each telling the story of a new case to be solved by the destructive dog and rabbit duo.

Turner Broadcasting System has formally launched its new GameTap gaming service. GameTap gives gamers the ability, for a $14.95 monthly fee, the ability to stream a surprisingly high number of current and classic games to a PC. Basically like a subscription-based rent-by-mail service, just without the mail.

A few weeks ago, Turner launched a trial offer for the service, but this marks its official opening. The full game list is fairly impressive for a launch, and the company promises to continue adding hundreds more titles. Currently, there is a large focus on classic games, with the libraries companies like Sega and Midway highly represented. Conversely, when it comes to more current games, Ubisoft has the most currently on offer--which means if you haven't played Beyond Good & Evil, this is your chance.

From my experience with the service, it feels seamless and well-implemented, though I could do without what I assume were engineered as "hip" video features that play while the games are being streamed. Emulation for console and arcade games is handled well.

Right now, the main drawback to GameTap is that its selection is defined by the limited number of publisher deals it has acquired. However, it's a good start and a good idea, and if a constantly growing library is in the works, it'll look like a pretty attractive option indeed.