14 DAY TRIAL // Julie Uhrman, the chief executive officer at the company that created the Ouya Android-based gaming console, says that her organization does not feel threatened by the launch of the new Fire TV device from Amazon, which uses a similar configuration and can deliver titles both locally and via streaming.
The company leader tells GamesIndustry.biz that, “Just as Amazon blazed a trail for a new way of selling online, Ouya invented a new way to think about console games. But for us, games are not simply an 'added bonus' - they're the whole point. Ouya is solely dedicated to the devs creating games, and the players who play them. Their ideal experience is all we think about.”
The CEO refers to the way Amazon structured its official press release for the Fire TV, which relegates serious discussion about video games to the final part of the document and talks about it as a bonus.
The core features of the new device, which is at the moment available to all interested customers in North America, are linked to streaming video content, both from the official library that Amazon has started creating and from partner companies.
Uhrman says that her company is mostly interested in creating interesting video games that appeal to those who have bought an Ouya.
She adds, “We have more than 700 titles - many award winning -- from over 34,000 registered developers on the platform.”
Recently, the company has announced that it is no longer even necessary to have an actual Ouya console in order to play video games designed for it, because they would all be offered using an embeddable software platform.
All devices that are powerful enough and run Android can experience titles created for the Ouya and there’s a possibility that the service will even be offered on the Amazon Fire TV device.
Ouya Everywhere is confirmed as launching on the Madcatz M.O.J.O device and the company plans to reveal more partners in the coming weeks.
The new Amazon Fire TV is designed to get the company in the living room, which for many modern customers is dominated by a gaming console or by a set-top box.
The retail giant will probably use its proven strategy of low prices and wide content availability in order to compete with both cable companies and with the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
Sony and Microsoft do not feel that they need to compete with Amazon at the moment, but that could change in a few months.