Infinium announces publisher list for Phantom

Broadband console proponent Infinium Labs has revealed the preliminary list of publishers who have signed up to provide content for the Phantom console, with over 500 titles set to be available for launch.

Among the 20 companies named in the announcement are key game publishers such as Codemasters, Eidos, Interplay, Vivendi Universal Games and Atari, along with smaller firms including Enlight, GarageGames, Kuma Reality and Riverdeep.

Infinium boasts that the line-up includes four of the top ten PC publishers in North America, and represents one third of the PC games market; the firm claims to have signed up 500 titles for the Phantom already, including more than half of the 50 best PC games of all time, as measured using the GameRankings system.

"Our agreements demonstrate that game publishers and developers are recognising that digital distribution offers them a significant opportunity to expand sales in conjunction with the existing retail model," according to Infinium president and COO Kevin Bachus. "They're joining with us to promote market expansion."

However, it's likely that the firm's critics will draw attention to those companies which are notable by their absence from the Phantom publisher list - with the lack of any support from EA or Activision being particularly worrying given Infinium's stated intention to appeal to casual or non-core gamers.

It should be noted that today's announcement is a preliminary list only, though, and more publishers may well come on board before the Phantom launches in the USA later this year.

"By making the game selection and purchase process as easy as watching television, we plan to welcome former gamers back into the fold," claims Bachus. "It's always gratifying to see the immediate enjoyment they get from playing on our service. Amazed at how fast they can call up games and begin having fun, the see that the Phantom service offers something for the whole family."