GameTap, Codemasters Sign Exclusive Deal

Turner's GameTap subscription PC 'all you can eat' gaming service has announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Codemasters, bringing the majority of the veteran publisher and developer's catalog of games, including the recently released DiRT, to North American subscribers. The new deal, which includes multi-year North American publishing rights for Codemasters' releases, will see upcoming titles such as Clive Barker’s Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty debut on GameTap day and date with their retail release. According to Codemaster's president of publishing, Geoff Mulligan, the partnership was an “obvious choice” in the firm's continuing plans to expand its North American presence through “subscription play and ad revenue.” In addition to DiRT, the recently shipped RPG Overlord is also now available. According to a statement, Codemasters titles will be released over both the subscription service as well as for free over GameTap's recently announced advertising-supported program. The games will also be sold through GameTap's new digital retail storefront. “Codemasters is a forward thinking company with great current and upcoming titles that are exactly the kind of games our subscribers want to play,” said Stuart Snyder, Turner’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media. “Making games available to play day and date with the retail release to our subscribers is a top priority for our business.”