OUYA

OUYA Inc. emerged in 2012 as a venture aiming to disrupt the established video game console market. The company was founded by Julie Uhrman, a veteran of the gaming industry with experience at IGN and Vivendi Universal, who served as CEO. She was joined by designer Yves Béhar, who was responsible for the console's distinct, compact design, and Muffi Ghadiali, who led product management. Uhrman's background in digital distribution and game companies informed the startup's direction, which sought to create a more open and accessible platform for television gaming.

The company's core product was the OUYA, a $99 microconsole based on the Android operating system. This strategy was intended to lower the barrier to entry for both consumers and independent game developers. A key part of OUYA's business model was its digital storefront, where the company took a 30% cut of game sales, similar to mobile app stores. All games were required to have a free-to-try component, allowing players to sample content before purchasing. Furthermore, every console was also a development kit, empowering any owner to create and publish games without expensive licensing fees, a significant departure from the closed ecosystems of major console manufacturers like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

OUYA's journey began with a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign in July 2012, which initially sought $950,000 but spectacularly raised over $8.5 million from more than 63,000 backers. This overwhelming public support demonstrated a significant market interest in an alternative, open gaming platform. The console, a small, cube-like device designed by Yves Béhar's Fuseproject, began shipping to backers in March 2013 and saw a general public release in June 2013. Despite the initial hype and a subsequent $10 million investment from Alibaba, the company struggled. The console was met with lukewarm reviews, citing a lack of compelling exclusive games, a subpar controller, and performance issues. Sales were lackluster, and many developers failed to embrace the platform, leading to financial difficulties. For example, its best-selling exclusive game, *TowerFall*, sold only about 7,000 copies.

Facing mounting debt and failing to gain market traction, OUYA sought a buyer. In July 2015, the gaming hardware company Razer Inc. acquired OUYA's software assets, content library, and technical team, but not its hardware. Following the acquisition, Julie Uhrman stepped down as CEO. Razer integrated OUYA's software into its own Forge TV microconsole ecosystem and continued to operate the OUYA name as a publishing label for a short time. However, the OUYA services and storefront were ultimately shut down by Razer in June 2019, rendering the consoles largely unusable as many applications required a connection to the store to function.

Keywords: OUYA, Julie Uhrman, Yves Behar, Android console, microconsole, Kickstarter, indie games, open platform, Razer, Forge TV, free-to-play, game development kit, console failure, video game hardware, digital distribution, crowdfunding, Boxer8, Android gaming, TV gaming