Ouya’s upcoming Android-powered console is eagerly awaited by both devs and gamers. Interestingly, all games in the Ouya stord will be required to support a free-to-try option.
According to Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman, the idea is attractive to gamers, as it will likely prompt developers to create more of an engaging experience, all while helping to keep the app store clear of sub-par software.
“It cleans up the app store. It removes the confusion between a paid app store and a free app store. We also think it cuts down on the copycat games, where you have games that look like each other and one is paid but the other is free and you don’t know what to do,” Uhrman told GameIndustry.
“So we thought the easiest way to remove that and create a great experience for gamers and developers that was rewarding in their own right was to adopt this free-to-try model.”
However, Uhrman emphasized that Ouya would not be screening games in terms of quality.
“That’s really up to the gamers and how often they play the game… What’s really important to us in games on Ouya is engagement, and that’s what’s going to dictate to us what a great game is and what’s going to lead our curation and merchandising plan,” she added.
In related Ouya news, the company recently announced the winners of a 10-day developer competition. All the titles remain unfinished, but some do look pretty sweet nonethelss, including Avner, Color Thief and Super Dungeon Bros.
