Is Ouya Talking With Potential Buyers?

Fanghawk

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Is Ouya Talking With Potential Buyers?

Ouya is reportedly in preliminary acquisition talks with companies like Google and Amazon, instead of simply seeking investors.

There was a brief period not so long ago when Ouya's Android console looked like the next big thing in gaming. Its Kickstarter campaign <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118375-Update-Open-Source-Android-Console-Fully-Funded-with-1-Million>raked in over $8 million, and generated massive interest among developers and players alike. Sadly, the backer edition console was both <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125373-Ouya-CEO-Pissed-As-Delays-Continue>delayed and <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123147-Ouya-Promises-Console-Will-Be-Fixed-Before-June-4-Launch>buggy, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/10469-OUYA-Review-More-Whimper-Than-Bang>the official release felt a little premature, and <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131375-Ouya-Co-Founder-Jumps-Ship>an Ouya co-founder ended up leaving the company altogether. Now Ouya is reportedly in preliminary acquisition talks with companies like Google and Amazon, seeking either a buyer or potential investors.

According to sources close to the situation, Ouya is talking to companies in China and the US about an acquisition possible acquisition. While these talks may simply provide new investors, sources consider it far more likely that Ouya will be purchased outright. So far no offers have been made, but talks are said to be proceeding nonetheless.

Sources are also suggesting that an Ouya acquisition would focus on staff instead the console itself, moving the team onto other projects. Given that Amazon and Google have their own Android devices, that's a strong possibility; <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131722-Report-Amazon-Android-Console-Set-to-Launch-This-Year>Amazon was even rumored to be developing its own console. That approach would likely mark the end of Ouya as a brand, unless its buyer felt the console was worth salvaging and expanding.

A Chinese acquisition could also prove interesting simply because of <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/criticalintel/10647-Lifting-China-s-Console-Ban-The-Bigger-Picture>the country's recently lifted console ban. At the moment however, sources are stating that talks with Chinese companies are focused on investment, not acquisition. We'll have to wait and see how these reports play out, as Ouya has yet to provide an official statement on the matter.

Source: Venturebeat

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thiosk

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I knew how excited I'd be for the ouya when I saw this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY5yG2KyQfM].

good... luck... to em?
 

Firanai

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I'm curious, do you think that the ouya has been a failure? if so why? thanks for your answers.
 

Pyrian

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"Money? For anything? Everything? Somebody? Please? Anyone? Bueller?"

Of course it's not a complete failure. It released. It works. There are games. You can play them.
 

And Man

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I never understood the appeal of the Ouya, or why everyone made a huge deal about it during it's Kickstarter. It's a console that plays Android games, correct?
 

TessaraVejgan

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And Man said:
I never understood the appeal of the Ouya, or why everyone made a huge deal about it during it's Kickstarter. It's a console that plays Android games, correct?
Yes, and I think a lot of those games (more popular ones at least) came out on the pc and consoles as well. The others you could just play on your phone as I understood it.
 

N3squ1ck

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I was excited for that thing - as an emulator, but then I realised that a Raspberry Pi is enough for that. 30 vs. 100? makes the decision easy, especially since I can use my Xbox controller with the Pi.
 

Hairless Mammoth

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*in stereotypical early 20th century announcer's voice* "Step right up. See the Amazing Ouya! Be the first mega corp to own the company that makes paperweights that also plays video games AND keeps the end of your HDMI cable secure. It's features are so amazing, other machines already had its capabilities and surpassed it before it came out and copycats all over have announced their own Android based game-playing paperweights. Don't miss your chance to own this one of a kind company!" I'm sorry. That's just what I see negotiations looking like. I couldn't help.

Ouya had a neat idea but flubbed it by coming out with it 2 years too late. Perhaps, some investor will be intrigued by their roadmap and give them some dough, and maybe Ouya can realize an idea that will work when they bring it to market this time.

I really don't see any of these except a Chinese based company buying Ouya. Google can always buy them to swallow another company to add to its ridiculous mass, but they already own enough that making their own dedicated android console as a small side business would be drop in the 55 gallon barrel. Amazon has that fireTV thing that plays games, so buying Ouya seems to a little redundant. Although, either one could buy Ouya for maybe exclusivity contracts, if they had those.
 

Omnicrom

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Firanai said:
I'm curious, do you think that the ouya has been a failure? if so why? thanks for your answers.
In what possible universe could it be said the Ouya succeeded?
 

Imperioratorex Caprae

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Pipe dream, fueled by people who probably had no idea that mobile market games are 98% crap, 1.5% decent, 0.5% ported awesomeness (watered down by limitations). The idea of an Android powered console made no fucking sense to me since the games were designed for touch or motion controls on phones/tablets. I really don't understand why people were so psyched about this... except that maybe they were psyched out instead of just charged up with false hope and excitement.
 

CriticalMiss

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Ultratwinkie said:
What are they going to sell?

1. The hardware they have is not only outdated, but they don't own it. They bought the hardware, they didn't design or make it. You can't sell patented hardware owned by someone else.

2. The name is almost worthless. There is no brand, and no consumer recognition or loyalty.

3. The games are taken off smart phones, so no first party exclusive games to sell.

Who would want to buy out this? It offers literally nothing to the buyer over making a console themselves.
They have dreams and dreams are priceless. They'll be trillionaires!

But seriously, the Ouya has nothing for anyone except an expensive paperweight manufacturer who want a new line of paperweights for the blind.
 

Laughing Man

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I have issue with the article, specifically

There was a brief period not so long ago when Ouya's Android console looked like the next big thing in gaming.
their was never any moment when the Ouya looked like anything than what it was, a massive waste... well only £100 so I guess a small waste of cash. I said it would fail, that it was a console that served no purpose that if the Android home gaming market was worth investing in either Google would have done it themselves or Sony and MS would have added emulation to their consoles to allow people to play.

Oh the concept was good, an open source console that would allow big supporting developers to create games using the Android OS only problems; the device was massively under powered, no big developers supported it (yes Square released a conversion of some FF game but Square would convert FF games to run on a microwave if they thought they could get cash out of it) and the console launched on the back of the home brew developed games with nothing from any big name developers, it had to work with a game collection that was 99% utter shite. A console that failed because it had no decent games to back it up. They hoped and dreamed that the home brew developers would come to the front and give them their big success give them their 'Angry Birds' a game that would drive sales, but it never happened.

Ouya, the gamers looked at it and thought Oo No.
 

Jacked Assassin

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I hope they go bankrupt soon. Ouya might've been revolutionary if they didn't bend over backwards for brick & mortar when they scrapped the promise to allow any game made. Which scrapped the idea of ESRB AO Rated Games. Something the "Big 3" & Valve are scared of.

And I'm still embarrassed they didn't actually attend E3. All that money they were given, but decided it wasn't worth it to advertise right with it. And got themselves into drama with E3 over it while they were at it.

At least Nintendo knows what they're doing at E3 when they partner up with Best Buy. Ouya compared to that is less than half hearted. Ouya probably couldn't have done that but that doesn't really excuse them from not properly attending E3 with the money they were given.
 

CaitSeith

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Firanai said:
I'm curious, do you think that the ouya has been a failure? if so why? thanks for your answers.
Not more than the Wii U. Now seriously, it failed in being the relevant 4th console in the previous generation because there was little marketing outside of a couple articles and not enough people talked about it on the internet (or made Youtube videos). They still try to keep afloat by getting more game releases (most are indies, some are ports like Final Fantasy III).
 

alj

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It was never a competitor to the big 3, yes it failed but it does what i want it to do a cool little emulator box with a nice controller.