Razer acquires Ouya’s software assets for its own set-top box, Forge TV
After the news broke earlier this year that micro console maker Ouya Inc was desperately looking for buyers to pay off its creditors, the future of the Kickstarter darling looked uncertain. There had been rumors that gaming peripheral company Razer Inc was in talks to buy Ouya, and now it looks like those rumors were true…partially.
According to Razer, the company has acquired the rights to Ouya’s software assets, meaning that it can use the system’s game library and operating system in its own devices.
“Razer has a long-term vision for Android TV and Android-based TV consoles, such as the Xiaomi Mi Box and Alibaba Tmall Box, to which OUYA already publishes,” said Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan in a statement. “OUYA’s work with game developers, both triple A and indies, went a long way in bringing Android games to the living room and Razer intends to further that work. This acquisition is envisaged to usher more developers and content to the Android TV platform.”
Razer has plans to brings Ouya’s offerings to its own set-top gaming device, Forge TV, which released in May 2015. According to the company, it will be “providing existing OUYA users with a clear path of migration to the more advanced Forge TV micro-console and Serval controller bundle.”
“Razer is the perfect home for OUYA and the team that made it all happen,” said Ouya co-founder Julie Uhrman, who recently resigned from her role as CEO for the company. “They can take the OUYA platform to new places, inspiring developers and embracing gamers, everywhere.”
While Razer can now use Ouya’s software for its own systems, it is “not retaining interest in OUYA hardware or related other assets” and has no plans to buy the hardware. However, it will publish Android TV content and games under the Ouya name, which is says will remain a separate property from Forge TV. The Ouya game store is also being retained, but it is being rebranded as Cortex for Android TV, which Razer calls “a premier destination for Razer Forge TV games and other content.”
Image courtesy of Razer Inc
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.
One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.
Join our community on YouTube
Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.
THANK YOU