VP says Gametap's troubles are 'greatly exaggerated'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 3rd 2008 at 3:30PM }

In an interview with GameDaily, GameTap's VP of Content, Rick Sanchez, explains that rumors of the gaming-buffet's death are "greatly exaggerated." Although he avoids divulging whether GameTap is profitable, he does say that it is hitting parent company Turner Broadcasting's P&L (profits and losses) figures, so apparently it's still keeping daddy happy.

Although rumors of GameTap's demise have pretty much been present since the service launched -- something even Sanchez jokes about -- things went into overdrive after the company laid off its all-star editorial team. GameDaily reports it heard rumors in the wake of the firings that the service would remain online only as a shell until December and then be buried. Sanchez "categorically denies" any of that, pointing to Grimm and more announcements expected in the future as proof of the service's growth.

Tags: death, dying, gametap, rick-sanchez, sanchez

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Haggard @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:57PM

Never really felt the need to use Gametap.. Steam already provides me with a drip-feed of awesome games and has all my friends on.

mogamer @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:41PM

The trouble with Steam or any digital download service is that you really don't own the games. If you can't re-sell something, then you don't really own it. I like Gametap because they are right upfront with game ownership. $60 a year is cheap and there are a lot more games than you can get on Steam. How much would it cost someone to own licenses for, lets say, 100 games? A whole lot more than using Gametap. And by the way I am a Steam user also.

Haggard @ Jul 3rd 2008 5:35PM

Well, you make a fair point, I'm just not sure I'd play most of the games available.

t_m @ Jul 4th 2008 5:47AM

well, you can always use both like I do, but there is a list up somewhere showing how much money you can save VS steam and the Wii VC, etc..

I've only ever used the free version (paid version not available in my country), but I'd sign up to it if i could. Even with the free version i've got to play $200 of free, classic games, plus dozens of VC games for free. Without it I'd have never discovered how awesome Psychonauts was.

I can think of very few games I'd ever want to replay in the future, so OWNING them isn't a big deal to me.. i'd rather have access to a big library. Those that I will replay I can always buy from another place.

I hope it doesn't go under anytime soon...

Superstar90 @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:12PM

That is a great looking game, look at all the bloom and brown shades. "Monty Python: forwards compatible with the Xbox 360 and PS3".

Neuromancer @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:16PM

"The report of my death was an exaggeration."

-Mark Twain

Jakka @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:29PM

Good Ol' Monty Python.

Psyclerk @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:52PM

I hope GameTap isn't going away. There are too many great games on the service, especially at $10 a month, to let it wither away. It's worth the money just for the X-Com and Homeworld games.

juju187 @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:47PM

isnt x-com abandon ware as in free?

t_m @ Jul 4th 2008 5:48AM

everything is free if you look on the internet somewhere.

Even the free version of gametap is worth it just for Psychonauts (plus thief, Deus Ex, Commandos 3, Tomb Raider, Blast Miner, etc..)

Dirty @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:57PM

When is Fallout coming? Anyone know?

ck @ Jul 3rd 2008 7:02PM

Sure, I don't play GameTap as much as I used to, but there's pretty much something for everyone and at $10 a month, that's a pretty good deal. Especially if you like older games and adventure games. I've got Planescape: Torment, Startopia and Sam & Max on my playlist right now.

offday @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:00PM

I've been using my coke rewards points all summer for week long subscriptions here and there. I enjoy it. My favorites are Sam and Max.

Sure, it doesn't have all the best games in the world, but for 10 bucks a month, there's plenty to keep you happy. I'm looking forward to Grim's fairy tales too.

figmentPez @ Jul 4th 2008 12:01AM

I would not be surprised if Gametap dies. It's not a well thought out or well supported product. I'm frustrated at a lack of 64-bit support for most of their games. The DRM Gametap uses for most of it's games isn't compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows, so I'm dual-booting 32-bit XP and 64-bit Vista. I won't be renewing my subscription if there isn't 64-bit support by the time I have to pay another $60. That frustration was just too much. I put up with not being able to back-up my saved games. I put up with not being able to export my character from Baldur's Gate into Baldur's Gate 2. I even put up with it's bizzare issues on my dual-monitor setup. However, all that combined has made me not want to give Gametap any more of my money.

Furthermore, I think it speaks volumes about Gametap that they don't so much as have a News section (about Gametap) on their website or in the program. I hear more news about what is new on Gametap from Joystiq than I do from Gametap itself, and something is seriously wrong with that.