After its highly successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012, Ouya had poor sales and financial troubles became substantial enough that the company was acquired by Razer in July 2015, as we reported at the time. Right after the acquisition, we also reported on indie developers claiming that Ouya owed them thousands of dollars. Since then, Ouya has been more or less on the down-low, and there hasn't been much news to report on the platform, most likely due to the fact that its user base was very limited, no matter how devoted.
Today Razer announced that it's shutting down the Ouya Store, along with other similar services such as the Forge TV and MadCatz MOJO game stores, on June 25. Razer published an FAQ on its official website, addressing all concerns of users of those services. Most importantly, if users have any funds in their accounts, they can only be used on the game stores and are not permitted to be redeemed for use outside of the Forge TV, Ouya, and MadCatz MOJO services. There's also no mention of refunds. As for what users can expect to keep from the services, the answers are below.
What happens to my account? Your account will be deactivated on June 25, 2019. After this date, you will no longer be able to access your account, games on the server, previously purchased titles, or be able to purchase new ones. You will continue to have access to games that have been downloaded. Users should download games before June 25, 2019 to avoid losing access after the shutdown.The termination of these services seems to reflect its low user base, and it really doesn't look like there will be any kind of support once the services are shut down. Apparently, users will have to download all their games and hope they work offline. This should be fine for single-player and one-time purchase games, but free-to-play games will probably hit some issues if they cannot be activated in another platform.Will I still be able to play games on OUYA? You will be able to play games via the OUYA platform until June 25, 2019. Once it has been shut down, access to the Discover section will no longer be available. Games downloaded that appear in Play, may still function if they do not require a purchase validation upon launch. Contact the game developer for confirmation.
Will the games be available on another platform? Each game is managed by the developer and availability will vary. Once the platform shuts down, the games will no longer be available via OUYA. For Forge TV and MadCatz MOJO, you will still have access to the Google Play store, as well as other platforms. After the shutdown the developer may choose to activate the game on another platform. If you have further questions, contact the developer directly.
The Ouya microconsole joins the ranks of discontinued niche consoles that never managed to reach a significant user base, such as the Gizmondo, the N-Gage, and the Zodiac to speak of a few from just the 2000s. Another console that has been running into issues lately is the Mad Box console, whose investors have pulled out following the announcement of Google Stadia, as we reported. The Mad Box just might be dead before it's even born. At least the Ouya had a few years worth of a lifespan and a fairly devoted small user base, which will surely mourn its passing.
Were you an Ouya user or developer? What was your experience like? How will you go about keeping your games and whatnot? Let us know in the comments below!
