Ouya to bring its games to China
China's top smartphone seller Xiaomi has partnered with Ouya, according to a Reuters report
The Android-powered Ouya has seen less success than it hoped in the West, but the company believes it could have a massive opportunity in the East. Today, Reuters has revealed a new partnership with Xiaomi, China's leading smartphone seller, which dethroned Apple and Samsung in just three years. Ouya boss Julie Uhrman acknowledged that details of the deal are still in the works but Ouya will probably receive its own dedicated channel on Xiaomi software installed on mobile phones and set-top boxes later this year.
It's also likely that Xiaomi will leverage its muscle to help market Ouya games. "For the likes of Xiaomi's MiTV, its set-top boxes and other Android set-top boxes that are entering the market, this could be a turning point..in bringing great content and developers to gamers and into a region that they have never had access to before," Uhrman commented.
China has long been a difficult market for Western gaming firms to penetrate, but earlier this year the Chinese government moved to allow consoles to be sold in the country, which has sparked some interest in gaming hardware among fans. Whether Ouya can capitalize on the emerging market remains to be seen.
"The whole industry is still in a very early development stage," Uhrman said. "There is an opportunity for both [Xiaomi and Ouya]."