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Microconsole Ouya is being given a new lease of life after receiving $10m worth of investment from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, according to a report.
People “familiar with the matter” have told The Wall Street Journal that the two companies are negotiating a plan to make Ouya’s library of more than 1,000 games available on Alibaba’s set-top box.
The news follows the announcement last August that smartphone firm Xiaomi would be bringing the microconsole’s games offering to Chinese consumers via streaming boxes and Smart TVs.
Ouya has struggled to gain traction amongst consumers since its successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in 2012, which raised $8.5m from 63,416 backers. The firm has also been mired in numerous controversies over its advertising campaigns and attempts to get more games on its system.
Prior to Alibaba’s rumoured investment, in 2013 the firm has raised some $15m in investment from companies such as Kleiner Perkins and Mayfield.
