Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Ouya CEO departs following Razer buyout

By

razer buys ouya console controller 640x0
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Gaming hardware manufacturer Razer has acquired Android microconsole maker Ouya in an all-cash deal, TechCrunch reports.

Razer now owns Ouya’s software assets as part of the agreement. Ouya’s long-suffering hardware business was not included as part of Razer’s buyout.

Recommended Videos

TechCrunch notes that Ouya’s technical and developer relations teams will likely assist in promoting and advancing Razer’s Android TV initiative. Specifically, acquired employees will be assigned to work on Razer’s Forge TV console and the Cortex gaming network and software platform.

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed with TechCrunch that the buyout was an all-cash purchase that saw the departure of Ouya’s initial investors. Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman has also left the company in the wake of the purchase announcement.

“OUYA was a once in a lifetime experience. Now, I’m off to find the next…stay tuned!” Uhrman tweeted earlier today.

Ouya raised over $8.5 million from backers when it pitched its microconsole via Kickstarter, promising a cost-effective platform and a digital haven for independent developers. The Ouya launched at $100 in 2013 with dozens of games delivered via a digital storefront.

Releases for the Ouya dried up soon after the console’s launch, however. Despite efforts to reignite interest in the platform with promises of updated hardware and an all-access pass for its digital library, the Ouya never recovered from its initial missteps, leaving the company in search of a buyer earlier this year in order to recoup investor capital.

Razer CEO Tan assures Ouya owners that the console’s storefront will remain up and running over the next year as Razer builds up its own Android business.

“There are about 200,000 users on the OUYA platform and for the hardware users, we intend to, out of goodwill (as we didn’t acquire the hardware assets), keep the lights on for their gaming service for at least 12 months as we encourage them to migrate to the Razer service which will have a lot more features, new content and new games,” Tan said. “We will have more follow up announcements soon on the transition to the new service.”

Tan added: “The Ouya brand name will live on as a standalone gaming publisher for Android TV and Android based TV consoles.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Volgarr the Viking 2 will take you back to your Ghosts ‘n Goblins days
A viking slashes a tree in Volgarr the Viking 2.

Developer Digital Eclipse is working on a surprising project: Volgarr the Viking 2. The 2D retro sequel will launch on August 6 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The news is an out of left field reveal. The first Volgarr the Viking game released in 2013 and was made as an ode to 1080s classics like Ghosts 'n Goblins. Despite being a small release, it sold over 1 million copies over the past decade. As revealed during today's Guerrilla Collective stream, the series is coming back with a new sequel by Digital Eclipse, the team behind this year's Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Read more
3 Days of Play PS Plus games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Key art for Streets of Rage 4.

June 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty great month for PlayStation players. Not only are we coming off an entertaining State of Play showcase, but a new Days of Play initiative surrounding all the video game showcases this month is bringing a lot of new PS Plus additions with it. Many of those games hit PS Plus this week, and three in particular stand out to us.

For owners of Sony's oft-neglected PlayStation VR2, the first game is one of its rare exclusives that take full advantage of the headset's eye-tracking by seeing how often players blink. The next is a new PS Plus Essential game that's a revival of Sega's classic beat-'em-up series for the modern gaming era. Finally, the last title is an atmospheric and eerie fishing game that should entice fans of Lovecraftian horror.
Before Your Eyes

Read more
3 first-party Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (June 7-9)
Gears 5 Kait Hero Close Up

Microsoft will hold an Xbox Games Showcase and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct. this Sunday. These shows will provide a much better idea of what to expect from Xbox over the course of the next year or two. That's really needed right now, as Microsoft has struggled to keep online discussions around Xbox positive as it went multiplatform with some games, laid off thousands of developers, and outright shut down the developers of Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall. Based on leaks and my personal expectations for the showcase, there are three games you can play on Xbox Game Pass this weekend to prepare for the event.

The first is the latest first-person shooter in a long-running series by id Software that might be getting a medieval-set spinoff. After that, we have the fifth entry in a sci-fi Xbox series that still looks fantastic on Xbox Series X/S even though it came out in 2019. Finally, you can prepare for Avowed with the latest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, a satirical sci-fi game where player choice is critical.
Doom Eternal

Read more