The Turner Broadcasting game subscription service Gametap today announced a partnership with Konami to bring some of their game properties online. The titles announced today include the arcade game Frogger, Contra Hard Corps and Castlevania: Bloodlines for the Sega Genesis, and the first three Castlevania games for the PC. Most of the games on the Gametap service are either classic games running under emulation, or older Windows PC games, so don’t expect to get Metal Gear: Solid any time soon. The original game was released for the PC and the Commodore 64, so there is hope that some form of the stealth action game will show up.

The announcement further expands the lineup for the $9.99 per month service. Gametap has been aggressive at adding new content with their agreement to publish the new Sam and Max episodes from Telltale Games and their upcoming relaunch of Uru Live. Gametap has also recently added multiplayer gaming support and instant messaging to their service, along with both original and licensed Cartoon Network content. Turner Broadcasting has kept their subscriber numbers secret, so it is hard to gauge the popularity of the service. The only number so far released indicates that 70% of trial subscribers stick with the service. Whether this is due to genuine interest in the games or simple failure to cancel subscriptions is unknown. Also unknown is how much the company is spending to acquire new customers. Overall, though, it can only be a good thing for subscribers of the service that Gametap has been pursuing new content.

Full press release continues below.

GameTap, Konami Partnership Brings Renowned Publisher to GameTap
Monday July 31, 9:50 am ET
Frogger, Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania among critically acclaimed titles coming to GameTap

ATLANTA, July 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—GameTap, a first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), today announced a licensing agreement with famed publisher Konami to bring some of the all-time greatest series and games to GameTap subscribers. Among the new offerings are “Frogger,” “Contra Hard Corps,” and the first three installments of “Castlevania” for PC as well as “Castlevania: Bloodlines” for SEGA Genesis. The agreement will increase the diverse and expanding lineup of video games currently available on the GameTap network.

“With Konami on board with some of its most vibrant and evolving franchises, we continue to strengthen our position as the leader in the digital distribution of games,” said GameTap Senior Vice President and General Manager Stuart Snyder. “GameTap has the most celebrated titles from the very best publishers, along with exclusive games and GameTap TV, providing hours of entertainment and great value for everyone from hardcore to casual gamers.”

The range of Konami titles coming to GameTap spans decades of the successful publisher’s celebrated catalog. The list of announced titles will appeal to players who crave the classics.

“GameTap provides a unique opportunity for Konami to promote some of its most beloved franchises,” said Catherine Fowler, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We look forward to our partnership with GameTap and expanding the appeal of Konami’s classic games to an even wider range of consumers through their service.”

In addition to more than 400 GameTap TV shows and videos, the GameTap network offers close to 600 video games, making it by far the largest collection of on-demand games on the Internet. Advanced parental controls, multi-player gaming, and community features like Instant Messaging (IM) are among the many features available to subscribers. To register for GameTap, visit www.gametap.com, where you can sign up for unlimited access to everything the network offers for $9.95 per month with your first two weeks free.

About GameTap

Launched by Turner Broadcasting in 2005, GameTap is a pioneer and leader in broadband entertainment. It delivers more than 580 authentic versions of the greatest console, computer and arcade games on demand, including original, exclusive episodic properties like the forthcoming “Sam & Max” adventure, in collaboration with TellTale Games, and the latest incarnation of “Uru Live,” with Cyan Worlds. In addition to games for every age and interest, GameTap TV offers more than 400 original entertainment programs, popular video streams and thriving virtual communities to broadband-connected PCs. New games and original programming are continually added to the service. GameTap is a downloadable application that supports navigation and game play using keyboard and mouse, as well as most USB peripherals. Go to www.gametap.com and expand your playground.

About Turner

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

About Konami

Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid®, Silent Hill® and Castlevania®, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. Konami Corporation is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami Corporation, the parent company of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. can be found at www.konami.com/gs.