GameTap New Service Offerings

Until this week I was hesitant to talk about any of the cool things going on over at GameTap. I figured some astute readers might sense a deal in the making before the announcement. But now that we’re “official” I’m free to espouse my enthusiasm for their service and their model.

First up – 1UP.com is reporting some cool new offerings from GameTap – including Mac support (yay!) and ad-supported “free to play games”.

GameTap VP Talks New Service Offerings
New changes include Mac compatibility and free-to-play Internet multiplayer for specific titles

For a while now, gamers have considered GameTap to be a service something along the lines of “the NetFlix of Video Games”…which is to say, an online subscription-based service where a user pays a monthly fee for the privilege of grazing off a wide menu of classic and modern-era titles.

Come May 31st however, GameTap will be adding a few new guns to its arsenal in the form of “free-to-play” advertising-supported games… and not just Bejewelled or Space Invaders either. GameTap’s new “Challenge Play” feature will offer up ‘for the hardcore’ titles like Metal Slug and Tomb Raider: Legend free to play with no subscription fee beyond the banner ads. The company has plans to release 30 games initially at launch, with more released periodically as the service ramps up.