Phantom Game Service Announces Publishing Partners

Infinium Labs has announced the initial list of publishing partners who have signed up for digital game distribution via the company's PC-based Phantom game system. The full list, as supplied by Infinium, includes 21-6 Productions, BraveTree, Chronic Logic, Codemasters, Dreamcatcher Interactive, eGames, Eidos, Enlight Interactive, Framework Studios, GamerBlitz, Gameware Development, GarageGames, Global Software Publishing, Interplay, Kuma Reality Games, Legacy Interactive, Max Gaming, O-3 Entertainment, Riverdeep, Skunk Studios and Vivendi Universal Games. Atari Inc. has also signed on to supply select titles for the service. However, it should be pointed out that a number of these companies overlap (21-6, BraveTree, Chronic Logic, and Max Gaming all have products distributed via GarageGames, for example), and some major publishers such as Electronic Arts are currently missing. Nonetheless, Infinium is claiming that the list of firms represents four of the top 10 PC publishers in the industry, and one-third of the current PC games market, and is also expecting to make more announcements in the coming weeks. Large-scale skepticism and allegations of financial difficulties have adversely affected publicity for the Phantom in recent weeks. But this announcement should help bolster confidence, at least for Infinium's investors, that the company can deliver on its promise of "the first end-to-end, on-demand game service", still scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2004.