Ouya announces “Free the games fund” Initiative to get Crowdfunded Games on Platform

Ouya has a new audacious/crazy new plan to attract even more developers to make games for their console, and have set aside $ 1 million out of the $ 8.5 million they themselves were able to raise on Kickstarter. Titled FreeTheGamesFund, it sounds like a belated attempt to jump in on all the action Sony and Nintendo have been getting with all the crowdfunded games coming to their consoles. The name is also completely misleading.

Here's how it works:

You email Ouya and add a specified text promoting the Fund as part of the Kickstarter. You then launch the Kickstarter between April 9, 2013 to April 10, 2014. If you meet your funding goal, which has to at least be $ 50,000, you will be added to the fund,

But then, to be eligible for that refund, you have to promise exclusivity with the Ouya for six months, and then you get payment in increments. You get 1/4 at the end of the Kickstarter campaign, 1/2 when the game comes out on Ouya, and the remainder when the 6 month period ends.

Whoever raises the most money in this period will get an additional $ 100,000, dependent on available funds. Ouya has set aside exactly the $ 1 million. They've also capped the maximum allowable funding goal to $ 250,000. This will allow a minimum of 4 projects to get funded while using all the money.

The FAQ explains that exclusivity isn't a requirement until you get money from Ouya. Subsequently, if you fail in your Kickstarter attempt, no exclusivity clause is in effect if you decide to go through with the game anyway.

The promotion is US and UK only because of Kickstarter, and they have explained they are explicitly sticking with KS because of their past experience with it.

Unfortunately, the way the arrangement was made, only a fraction of the amount can be used for the game's development, so it isn't quite Ouya funding the game making along with the KS backers. This all really seems so ill-advised given they are still dealing with issues with the game's hardware, and on another end, there's little visibility for the platform as well. Maybe it could lead to some cool indie games being produced, but even then the terms seem hastily planned out. What contingency plans does Ouya have when they get too many games applying than their budget can take? I just don't know about this, but maybe Ouya can prove me wrong. Stay tuned.

Source: FreeTheGamesFund