14 DAY TRIAL // GameTap is announcing a new partnership with publisher Interplay, with the aim of bringing classic titles from the catalog of the publisher to the download service. The deal also includes Fallout, the post apocalyptic role playing game which will be available for free from GameTap sometime during summer.
Classic flight combat game Descent, along with its sequels and spin-offs, will also be added to the service along with MDK. Another Interplay property, Earthworm Jim, is already available on GameTap.
It's not yet clear to which section of the download service the games will be added. GameTap sells games on its site, but it also offers a free-play section, which is supported with revenue from ads that run before games, and there's also a subscription option.
Herv? Caen, Chief Executive Officer of Interplay, said that "GameTap continues to be a great partner for Interplay by offering expanded opportunities for revenue after the initial retail window has closed. This licensing deal is a good example of how Interplay is leveraging its library of intellectual properties. The company will continue to either reinvent some of those properties by developing them into new versions or sequels, or by partnering with an existing leader like GameTap, where the original titles can live on".
Adding these games, and possibly others, to GameTap is part of Interplay's strategy of using its intellectual property to generate revenue while preparing to re-launch some of its best known games, such as Earthworm Jim. The evil slaying uber worm is getting new games and a new cartoon series, while also being available on the Virtual Console service from Nintendo for the Wii.
Interplay is still flush with cash after it sold the rights to Fallout to Bethesda, which is developing Fallout 3 right this very moment. Interplay still holds the rights for a Fallout MMO and it is believed that this project is now the main focus of the company.