Ouya startup feeling “a real responsibility to deliver” to backers

“Extraordinary support” from the public puts the pressure on Ouya’s console

Tarryn van der BylAugust 15, 2012

With more than $8.5 million cash in the bank already, the people over at Ouya HQ have a big order to fill – and they know it.

After closing their $99 Android-based console Kickstarter campaign last week, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman told MCV that, “We’ve been stunned by the extraordinary support. We continue to see people pre-ordering from our website even now that the Kickstarter is over. And we feel a real responsibility to deliver for those who are backing us.”

The campaign is one of the most successful in Kickstarter history, generating a huge $8,596,475 total from 63,416 backers. But can the Ouya compete with other big brand consoles already on the market? That’s not the point, explained Uhrman.

“We think Ouya will succeed by carving out a niche of it’s own. Gamers like me own and enjoy several platforms. We think that there’s plenty of room for alternatives to the traditional consoles and we intend to prove that,” she said.

“People were ready for a change. Games on a TV have not had a meaningful new model – unlike mobile or web games – in 25+ years. It’s time for a more open system.

“Even triple-A game developers wish they could be more creative and experimental, but the current console market’s economics make that difficult. So a traditional console gamer would buy Ouya for a wider range of games. And since OUYA costs less than buying two traditional console games, it’s going to be appealing for traditional gamers to try.”

The company is also apparently “confident” that the console will ship out at its expected date in March next year, although we still haven’t even seen a single photo of the real thing. In the meantime, believe.