ATLANTA, Sept. 7 – Sam & Max are finally back! GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), and interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale Games today announced that GameTap subscribers will get exclusive 15-day access to all “Sam & Max” episodes, beginning with the debut of the first episode on October 17th, 2006.
All told, Sam & Max: Season 1 will boast six brand-new episodes with the pilot launching on GameTap’s first birthday, October 17th, and new episodes launching one-a-month starting in December and running through April. Each episode will be available to GameTap subscribers as part of the monthly subscription rate of $9.95. Fifteen days after each month’s debut on GameTap, the episodes will also be available for purchase for customers worldwide from the Telltale Games website, www.telltalegames.com. Pricing for purchases from Telltale will be announced in the coming weeks.
The October 17th season premiere episode of Sam & Max: Season 1 will be called “Culture Shock,” and begins as Sam and Max discover that a group of former child stars have become involved in nefarious deeds. Only the six foot dog and his cunning rabbit companion can unravel the mystery! Fans can learn more about the insidious details at Telltale’s Sam & Max games website.
“Gamers get to play the new episodes of Sam & Max first on GameTap, where the whole Sam & Max experience is enriched with additional amazing content,” said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap Vice President of Content. “Telltale and GameTap are also co-producing new animated machinima “shorts,” which will premiere in November as a prelude to the second game episode, with more shorts airing between monthly episodes to give Sam & Max fans a regularly scheduled fix. With the new machinima shorts and a behind-the-scenes documentary that brings them inside ‘The Making of’ the new Sam & Max game, this exclusive Sam & Max experience adds that much more value to the monthly subscription.”
“GameTap has the vision, commitment and talent to build a network that fosters unique and innovative original content,” said Dan Connors, CEO of Telltale, Inc. “We’re proud that we can contribute the first original interactive series to kick off the programming next month.”
“We are pleased with our first foray into what we believe will be a new way of debuting and distributing original games,” said Stuart Snyder, GameTap’s Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Original and episodic content has been the cornerstone of many Turner properties and a natural fit for the gaming audience.”
Over the years, the hilarious detective dog and “rabbity-thing” have adventured through comics, PC games and an animated television series, attracting countless fans and great critical acclaim along the way. Sam & Max: Season 1 marks the crime-fighting duo’s first foray into digital distribution, as well as GameTap’s first outing as a producer and co- publisher.
Sam & Max: Season 1 joins GameTap’s existing vault of more than 600 video games, from arcade classics to current-generation hits, along with original GameTap TV programming, Cartoon Network favorites and celebrity interviews and insights. The episodes will be also available for purchase on Telltale’s website, www.telltalegames.com, after the exclusive period on GameTap.
