Melted Ouya console captioned 'I have failed. I'm so sorry.'

Ouya

2012eventdead

Published September 20, 2026

Ouya was a $99 Android-based video game console that raised over $8.5 million on Kickstarter in July 2012, making it one of the platform's biggest campaigns ever. Despite the hype, the console flopped after launch, got bought by Razer in 2015, and was officially shut down in 2019, cementing its reputation as one of gaming's most spectacular crowdfunding busts.

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Overview

Ouya was a small, cube-shaped Android-powered game console pitched at $99, designed by Yves Béhar and marketed as a system that was 'built to be hacked'1. The whole appeal was openness: cheap hardware, an Android OS anyone could tinker with, and a store where every game had to offer a free trial. It was aimed squarely at indie developers and players priced out of the Xbox and PlayStation ecosystem2.

The project became a cultural moment less because of the console itself and more because of how it was funded. Its record-breaking Kickstarter turned Ouya into shorthand for the crowdfunding gold rush of the early 2010s, when a slick pitch video could out-earn a AAA marketing budget3. Once the actual hardware shipped in 2013, the narrative flipped, and Ouya became just as well-known as a cautionary tale about hype outpacing product.

Origin & Background

Platform
Kickstarter
Creator
Julie Uhrman
Date
2012

On July 2nd, 2012, The Verge broke the story of a stealth startup on AngelList building a $99 hackable Android console, headed by former IGN executive Julie Uhrman with industrial design by Yves Béhar1. Coverage rippled through Kotaku, NeoGAF and Eurogamer over the following days1. On July 10th, 2012, Ouya launched its Kickstarter campaign asking for $950,0002.

The campaign hit its goal in about eight hours and crossed $1 million within roughly ten3. By the time the 30-day campaign closed, Ouya had raised $8,596,474 from more than 60,000 backers, at the time the second-most-funded Kickstarter project ever and the platform's biggest gaming campaign23. Those records for fastest-to-a-million and biggest 24-hour haul were later broken by the Veronica Mars film Kickstarter in March 20131.

How It Spread

Preview units shipped to Kickstarter backers in early 2013, and the reviews were brutal. The Verge's David Pierce gave the console a 3.5 out of 10, calling it a product 'a million miles away from something worth spending your money on' and criticizing the controller, the interface, and the thin game library4. Engadget's Tim Stevens was slightly more forgiving but still flagged the same rough edges ahead of the June 2013 retail launch4.

Ouya kept an active social media presence during the hype cycle, with official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, plus a dedicated support handle and a subreddit at /r/Ouya that grew past 7,000 members1. None of it saved the hardware. Sales stalled, the promised open-console revolution never materialized, and gaming accessory maker Razer bought the company in 2015, folding Ouya's game library into its Forge TV set-top platform3.

On May 22nd, 2019, Razer announced that all Ouya online services would shut down on June 25th, deactivating user accounts and leaving only already-downloaded games playable3. The unceremonious end became the closing chapter of the Ouya story, and the console picked up a second life as a punchline, with Urban Dictionary later branding it 'the Fyre Festival of games consoles'5.

Timeline

2012-07-02

The Verge reveals Ouya, a $99 Android console designed by Yves Béhar and led by Julie Uhrman.

2012-07-10

Ouya launches on Kickstarter with a $950,000 goal and hits $1 million in under 10 hours.

2012-08-09

Kickstarter campaign closes at $8,596,474, then the second-most-funded project in Kickstarter history.

2013-03

Early preview units ship to backers; The Verge scores the console 3.5/10 ahead of retail launch.

2013-06

Ouya launches at retail in North America.

2015

Razer acquires Ouya and stops hardware sales, migrating games onto its Forge TV platform.

2019-05-22

Razer announces Ouya online services will shut down on June 25th, 2019.

2019-06-25

Ouya servers go dark; only previously downloaded games remain playable.

Frequently Asked Questions