GameTap and Telltale Announce Revered 'Sam & Max' Franchise to Debut on the GameTap Network

GameTap and Telltale Announce Revered 'Sam & Max' Franchise to Debut on the GameTap Network

GameTap and Telltale team up to bring America's favorite crime fighters back to the video game screen in time for holiday season - Exclusive E3 trailer screening

LOS ANGELES, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- E3 -- "Sam & Max," the legendary dog and rabbit crime-fighting stars of video games, television and comics, make their triumphant return to the gaming scene after an absence of more than a decade! At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), GameTap, the first-of-its- kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), and interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale today announced they are co-producing an all new "Sam & Max" episodic adventure series that will debut on the GameTap network in time for this holiday season. Telltale will also sell individual episodes from its Sam & Max website at http://snm.telltalegames.com/.

At GameTap's E3 booth (South Hall #1078), fans of "Sam & Max" can view a trailer that provides a sneak peek of what's to come. There is even a special poster designed by series creator Steve Purcell which fans can obtain by taking the GameTap Aptitude Test. Visitors can also sign up for a chance to win an Alienware computer. For those who cannot attend E3, the trailer will be available on GameTap TV and on the Telltale website at snm.telltalegames.com later in the week.

The new "Sam & Max" series marks GameTap's first outing as a producer. Also an industry first is the introduction of a brand new title on GameTap's broadband network. GameTap now boasts more than 500 video game titles as well as original video programming, music channels and thriving online communities.

"GameTap is all about great games, so we're thrilled that the first GameTap-produced title and the first brand new game to debut on our service is a 'Sam and Max' episodic series," said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap's vice president of content. "We're also very excited to be working with Telltale Games to pioneer episodic game development."

"GameTap is a great fit for Sam & Max," said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "They have a tremendous amount of respect for the series, and their online channel makes them an ideal partner for episodic content. We look forward to our collaborations for accelerating innovation in the interactive entertainment space."

With its unique visual style and clever storylines, the "Sam & Max" franchise has amassed a devoted following in comic book, animation, and video game circles. By coming to GameTap, the "Sam & Max" legacy will continue to grow and thrive in the bold new frontier of broadband entertainment.

"Sam & Max" will join GameTap's extensive library of on-demand content that now boasts more than 500 video game titles as well as original video programming, spanning music, animation, reality shows and more, all of which targets followers of the pop-culture driven video game lifestyle. Telltale is continuing to release new "Sam & Max" content at its website on a regular basis, including the serialized webcomic story which began last winter, collectible prints signed by Steve Purcell, t-shirts and a completely new cartoon strip generator, which it has posted to the site today.

About Sam & Max

Steve Purcell published "Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple" as his first Sam & Max comic in 1987. Sam & Max solved assorted crimes and mysteries as "Freelance Police" in their sturdy 1960 Black and White De Soto Adventurer from their home base in New York City. After a series of follow-up comic books, Purcell worked with a team at LucasArts to create the critically acclaimed "Sam & Max Hit the Road" adventure game in 1993. The dog and bunny duo moved to television, in an original animated series on the Fox Kids Network in 1997.

About Telltale

Telltale delivers Tales for Your Imagination - high caliber interactive entertainment which features engaging stories, strong characters, and rich environments. A new era of interactive entertainment is emerging, with customers expecting more from their investment in play time. Telltale is developing and deploying cinematic quality animation and storytelling technologies, to create entertaining and exciting interactive adventures which meet these new expectations. Staffed with long time industry veterans, Telltale is currently creating tales based on Jeff Smith's Bone series, Steve Purcell's Sam & Max characters and television's popular CSI program in partnership with Ubisoft. Telltale offers content development and custom publishing services for license-holders interested in adapting their properties for interactive delivery. Telltale has created innovative tools, designed specifically for rapid development of high quality, space-efficient titles for digital distribution. Telltale titles can be downloaded from its website, as well as online partners such as Yahoo! Games, Direct-to-Drive, Trymedia Systems, Boonty, and CNET. To learn more about Telltale, please visit www.telltalegames.com .

About GameTap

GameTap delivers hundreds of the greatest games-on-demand plus original programming via a broadband-connected PC. To access GameTap, players securely download and install Turner-developed client software from www.gametap.com that acts as a gateway to the GameTap vault. Because games reside securely on the PC, not across a network, they act just as if they were still on the console or at the arcade. Fast response times, 3D effects, colors, and characters are all present and accounted for. New games and original programming will be added to the service each week. GameTap supports navigation and game play using keyboard and mouse, as well as most USB peripherals.

About Turner

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Source: GameTap

CONTACT: Chase, +1-415-844-6289, chase@accesspr.com, or Beth Gardiner,
+1-917-522-3522, bgardiner@accesspr.com, both of Access Communications for
GameTap; or Misty Skedgell, TBS, Inc., +1-404-885-4396,
misty.skedgell@turner.com

Web site: http://www.gametap.com/
http://snm.telltalegames.com/

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