Curmudgeon Gamer
03 December 2007
GameTap losing games
So GameTap is losing games. Their deals with the licensors are ending. We don't know why they're not continuing.
As the second poster in the GameTap forum thread said:
This is not a good sign for GameTap. The worst case is that they continue to hemorrhage games and run dry. If GameTap fails -- the biggest and best-financed online distributor of old and/or emulated games literally goes down the tubes -- then what conclusions do we draw? And where do people who want older games go?
When Loki Games died many people drew the conclusion that there wasn't a sustainable market for games on GNU/Linux. However a big part of Loki's death was mismanagement, like buying 20,000 Quake 3 tin boxes, which thrifty GNU/Linux users didn't want to buy. (For the record, I did buy one. Preordered even.)
So what would it be for GameTap? Failure of business model or poor management? Both? Something else entirely?
As for where we go from here, I hope it's back to compilation discs or untethered downloads (a la StarROMs).
As the second poster in the GameTap forum thread said:
I was under the impression once a game was on gametap it was there forever.Ha. There really is one born every minute...
This is not a good sign for GameTap. The worst case is that they continue to hemorrhage games and run dry. If GameTap fails -- the biggest and best-financed online distributor of old and/or emulated games literally goes down the tubes -- then what conclusions do we draw? And where do people who want older games go?
When Loki Games died many people drew the conclusion that there wasn't a sustainable market for games on GNU/Linux. However a big part of Loki's death was mismanagement, like buying 20,000 Quake 3 tin boxes, which thrifty GNU/Linux users didn't want to buy. (For the record, I did buy one. Preordered even.)
So what would it be for GameTap? Failure of business model or poor management? Both? Something else entirely?
As for where we go from here, I hope it's back to compilation discs or untethered downloads (a la StarROMs).
Labels: emulation, gametap, online distribution
--jvm at 08:57
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[ 2 ]
18 June 2007
Tomb Raider Anniversary sets distribution record
Not for the number of copies of Tomb Raider Anniversary sold (we'll know more about that next month) but for the number of distribution methods in the first three months on the market. A new one was just announced today. Let's count them:
- Retail box (Windows and PS2 now, PSP in a week or so, Wii and Xbox 360 late this year)
- Steam (Windows now)
- GameTap (Windows now, but GameTap will have a MacOS version late this summer. From GameTap's point of view, I can't think of a better way to introduce Mac gamers than to offer Tomb Raider Anniversary for MacOS X...)
- Episodic game for owners of Tomb Raider: Legend on Xbox 360 in September
Labels: business, gametap, online distribution, steam, tomb raider
--jvm at 11:12
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[ 1 ]
06 June 2007
Chopping a game into pieces (or Tomb Raider Anniversary on Xbox 360)
Via this post at NeoGAF, you can now find Tomb Raider: Anniversary rated for the Xbox 360. Try this link to see for yourself.What's interesting about this is that the game comes in five separate pieces. It appears that the game has been chopped into episodes and will arrive on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Marketplace.
This will be interesting to watch and raises some interesting questions:
- Will the pieces cost more than the $30 for the physical product on Windows, PlayStation 2, PSP, or Wii? My guess is that they'll cost more for the whole thing, justified by offering improved graphics and online achievements.
- Will there be a disc-based version for Xbox 360? Probably not.
- Why wasn't this done for the Windows version which is available as a download from GameTap and Steam? I really don't understand, given that GameTap is already doing episodic games.
- Does this signal how the the story started in Tomb Raider: Legend will be finished -- through downloadable episodes on the platforms that can handle it? I sure hope not. I enjoyed TR:L and would hate to have a virtual product as the only path to seeing its story finished.
- Will the Wii version be handled in the same way? Probably not. The Wii just isnt' designed to handle a full-size game like that (yet).
Labels: gametap, online distribution, steam, tomb raider, xbox360, xboxlive
--jvm at 15:40
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[ 3 ]
31 May 2007
The catch with "free" GameTap
Now I understand how the free ad-based version of GameTap will make money -- other than from showing adverts, of course. I got it when I read this comment over at NeoGAF:
As I understand it (and the GameTap people who lurk here can set me straight): The free, ad-driven service doesn't give access to all the big-name games, but it does have a rotating selection of the big-name games. So currently you can play (e.g.) Tomb Raider: Legend by just signing up for the ad-driven free service. But if you aren't finished by 4 June 2007, then you'll have to find another way to play. The option they'd want you to choose, of course, is a paid membership with their service. Sneaky.
Yes, the first hit is truly free (having to watch advertisements notwithstanding). But you better smoke it all before it goes back behind the non-free wall. After that, you pay, just like everyone else.
Unfortunately, it looks like the games are only free til Jun 4th, at which point I guess they'll rotate more in. Maybe I can beat TR: Legends by then.Ah-ha. Yes, I'm a bit slow, but I get there eventually.
As I understand it (and the GameTap people who lurk here can set me straight): The free, ad-driven service doesn't give access to all the big-name games, but it does have a rotating selection of the big-name games. So currently you can play (e.g.) Tomb Raider: Legend by just signing up for the ad-driven free service. But if you aren't finished by 4 June 2007, then you'll have to find another way to play. The option they'd want you to choose, of course, is a paid membership with their service. Sneaky.
Yes, the first hit is truly free (having to watch advertisements notwithstanding). But you better smoke it all before it goes back behind the non-free wall. After that, you pay, just like everyone else.
Labels: gametap, online distribution
--jvm at 16:27
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[ 4 ]
12 May 2007
Sam & Max Season 1 DVD does the right thing
The new Sam & Max episodes, currently available only on the GameTap service, will be available on DVD soon. I had wondered in my recent discussion with Simon whether they might require a network connection, and it appears they will not:
Will the episodes on the disc require online activation?Well, it's heartening to know that in some cases the consumers are demanding standalone games and the developers & publishers are responding with the a proper alternative.
No, they won't. You'll need your disc in the drive to play, but that's it. See, we do listen to you guys!
Labels: business, copyright, drm, gametap, online distribution
--jvm at 20:54
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[ 6 ]
11 May 2007
On game preservation and GameTap
Simon of GameSetWatch has posted excerpts from a recent email conversation he and I had regarding GameTap and similar services, especially with an eye toward game preservation. You can go read it yourself.
I'll only add here that I meant to get in a mention of Save the Whales, a game which was reportedly distributed online-only and was almost lost to the digital abyss. Did I mention it was an Atari 2600 game? That's right, a game distributed through a modem to an Atari 2600 over 20 years ago. Anyway, it apparently wasn't a great game, but it didn't have to be fun to be important.
Ok, I'll add one more thing. That is not a picture of me in Simon's post. Honestly.
I'll only add here that I meant to get in a mention of Save the Whales, a game which was reportedly distributed online-only and was almost lost to the digital abyss. Did I mention it was an Atari 2600 game? That's right, a game distributed through a modem to an Atari 2600 over 20 years ago. Anyway, it apparently wasn't a great game, but it didn't have to be fun to be important.
Ok, I'll add one more thing. That is not a picture of me in Simon's post. Honestly.
Labels: atari, business, copyright, emulation, gametap, history, online distribution, steam, virtual console, xbla
--jvm at 00:50
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[ 0 ]
01 May 2007
Will Tomb Raider Anniversary be the first big business model deathmatch?
So GameTap's PR contacted me regarding this post (which I've hopefully corrected) and pointed out that GameTap will offer Tomb Raider Anniversary through its subscription service and, apparently, the new online retail service. That's certainly an important distinction, and I regret that I missed it originally because it makes the situation even more interesting.
Now, we don't know for sure that Steam will have Tomb Raider Anniversary concurrently with GameTap's subscription service and brick-and-mortar stores, but just suppose for the moment that it will. Then Tomb Raider Anniversary could well offer a comparison of business models we've never seen before:
For average Joe User with broadband access, I get the feeling that GameTap's on-demand play offers the best deal. You can sign up for a single month, play the game, and then drop the service (or switch to the free ad-driven version). If you take two months to finish it because you have a life outside games, then you end up dropping $20 on it, maximum. If owners of the boxed Windows version can get away with spending as little as $10 even after they play and sell the used game, I'd be surprised. I don't think Steam will be pricing this kind of brand new game at $10, although they should be offering it at a discounted price if they know what's good for them.
It pains me to say that GameTap offers a better value, mind you, but there you go. For Joe User, mind you, but not for me.
Now, we don't know for sure that Steam will have Tomb Raider Anniversary concurrently with GameTap's subscription service and brick-and-mortar stores, but just suppose for the moment that it will. Then Tomb Raider Anniversary could well offer a comparison of business models we've never seen before:
- Boxed sales at brick-and-mortar stores
- Virtual game sales through Steam and GameTap
- On-demand play through GameTap
For average Joe User with broadband access, I get the feeling that GameTap's on-demand play offers the best deal. You can sign up for a single month, play the game, and then drop the service (or switch to the free ad-driven version). If you take two months to finish it because you have a life outside games, then you end up dropping $20 on it, maximum. If owners of the boxed Windows version can get away with spending as little as $10 even after they play and sell the used game, I'd be surprised. I don't think Steam will be pricing this kind of brand new game at $10, although they should be offering it at a discounted price if they know what's good for them.
It pains me to say that GameTap offers a better value, mind you, but there you go. For Joe User, mind you, but not for me.
Labels: business, emulation, gametap, online distribution, tomb raider
--jvm at 16:13
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GameTap to offer untethered downloads?
Updated below. Followup here.
From an interview at Next-Gen.biz this morning (my emphasis):
If anyone from Turner is reading, how about letting us in on some details of the new sales model? I'd be really interested to see what GameTap will offer that is different from what Steam and other download services are doing. Use the Contact Us link at the top of the right sidebar.
Update:
GameDaily has some other interesting data about GameTap. In particular, they say that membership is up almost 300% over 2006. I will try to go back and see if there was any information in 2006 about how many subscribers they had.
Also, they appear to be offering Tomb Raider Anniversary for on-demand play the day it launches through the GameTap subscriber service. You might recall that TRA was already coming to Steam (although it isn't clear if it's coming at launch). Certainly it's not new to see the same game on different services -- practically every one out there has a licensed version of Pac-Man -- but it is unique for the same, brand new game to show up on more than one service on launch day. Very interesting.
From an interview at Next-Gen.biz this morning (my emphasis):
[GameTap general manager Stu] Snyder also says that GameTap would be moving its TV programming from its client to the web, as well as launching a digital retail store where users will be able to buy and download new and cataloged games for keeps.That's quite possibly the best thing I've heard about GameTap in a while. If the downloads are untethered -- i.e. don't require a network connection to run and can be archived and reinstalled later without communicating with GameTap -- then I'll be really impressed. I doubt it will be as nice as downloading legal ROMs from StarROMs, data that could be used on any system with any suitable emulator. We'll see.
If anyone from Turner is reading, how about letting us in on some details of the new sales model? I'd be really interested to see what GameTap will offer that is different from what Steam and other download services are doing. Use the Contact Us link at the top of the right sidebar.
Update:
GameDaily has some other interesting data about GameTap. In particular, they say that membership is up almost 300% over 2006. I will try to go back and see if there was any information in 2006 about how many subscribers they had.
Also, they appear to be offering Tomb Raider Anniversary for on-demand play the day it launches through the GameTap subscriber service. You might recall that TRA was already coming to Steam (although it isn't clear if it's coming at launch). Certainly it's not new to see the same game on different services -- practically every one out there has a licensed version of Pac-Man -- but it is unique for the same, brand new game to show up on more than one service on launch day. Very interesting.
Labels: business, emulation, gametap, online distribution
--jvm at 09:54
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[ 1 ]
17 March 2007
Tomb Raider: Anniversary on Steam
According to GameDaily, Eidos has announced several of its games will appear on Steam. While that's interesting enough, I am fascinated that they're announcing that Tomb Raider: Anniversary will also be on Steam.
While it is in some sense just a remake of the original game, it is still a fairly high-profile product. I could see announcing that it would be on Steam maybe a year after it had been published, but to announce it will be on Steam at this time probably means you will be able to buy it on Steam the same day it's available in brick-and-mortar stores. That's big news.
It is also interesting that Eidos has previous cut a deal with Steam's biggest competitor, GameTap. Tomb Raiders 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all available through that service and Lara has been featured in GameTap advertisements. Here's one that they're currently running on their website:
It would appear that Eidos is testing the waters with more than one online game delivery service. I wonder which will look more attractive to them in a year: the ongoing residuals from GameTap or the outright sales* of Valve.
* Yes, I know it's not an outright sale: you still have to have yourself plugged into the Steam network. I still dislike both services intensely.
While it is in some sense just a remake of the original game, it is still a fairly high-profile product. I could see announcing that it would be on Steam maybe a year after it had been published, but to announce it will be on Steam at this time probably means you will be able to buy it on Steam the same day it's available in brick-and-mortar stores. That's big news.
It is also interesting that Eidos has previous cut a deal with Steam's biggest competitor, GameTap. Tomb Raiders 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all available through that service and Lara has been featured in GameTap advertisements. Here's one that they're currently running on their website:
It would appear that Eidos is testing the waters with more than one online game delivery service. I wonder which will look more attractive to them in a year: the ongoing residuals from GameTap or the outright sales* of Valve.* Yes, I know it's not an outright sale: you still have to have yourself plugged into the Steam network. I still dislike both services intensely.
Labels: gametap, online distribution, tomb raider, valve
--jvm at 10:37
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[ 3 ]
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