When we went to E3 this year we met with Turner, the creators of the upcoming GameTap service. GameTap provides subscribers an “all-you-can-play” gaming service accessible from up to two household computers. To access GameTap, players securely download and install Turner-developed client software from www.gametap.com that acts as a gateway to the GameTap vault. Because games reside securely on the PC, not across a network, they act just as if they were still on the console or at the arcade. Fast response times, 3D effects, colors, and characters are all present and accounted for. GameTap supports navigation and game play using keyboard and mouse, as well as most USB peripherals. Today, we got a press release from them explaining their pricing strategy. Jump down for the details!

Turner set the subscription rate for the fall debut of its GameTap broadband entertainment network at $14.95 per month.  The company also announced that all subscribers will get a two-week trial period for unlimited access to the network. 

The first network of its kind, GameTap allows subscribers to access the largest vault of games, ranging from the early arcades to console and PC titles, using a broadband-connected PC. The network will also feature original Turner programming. 

“Playing is believing,” said Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development, TBS, Inc, referring to the free trial.  “GameTap is such a new concept that we wanted to unlock the ‘vault’ as a kind of virtual open house.  While two weeks is not nearly enough time to explore the full depths of GameTap, it’s a great opportunity for an introductory self-tour.” 

Turner executives said that the rate is comparable to that of other video entertainment subscription offerings, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games that predominantly charge about $15 per month.  “MMORPGs have set the bar, and we feel it’s a good one for the kind of value GameTap delivers,” said Quinn. He also noted that one of the most successful Internet-driven DVD subscription service charges $17.99 monthly for its most popular DVD rental plan. 
GameTap’s monthly subscription rate reflects “the untapped value of stellar game titles whose launch lights have faded,” Quinn said. “Movies get a second chance on TV, DVD, and pay-per-view.  But until GameTap, even a high earning video game title winds up on an auction site, in used game shops or garage sales.  Behind the $14.95 fee is the game industry’s first post-retail channel that rewards the people who have made these great games possible.”