Ouya scores $10m Alibaba investment – report

Microconsole maker Ouya has reportedly struck a $10m investment deal with Chinese internet firm Alibaba.

The Wall Street Journal indicates that Alibaba’s investment is part of a push into China’s budding console market. According to people familiar with the matter,” the two businesses have agreed on a deal that will integrate Ouya’s interface and its library of more than 1,000 titles into Alibaba’s set-top box.

Speaking with Games Beat, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman explained the move from the hardware company’s perspective.

"Sometimes a new market, like China for game consoles, can leapfrog an established one. China’s advantage is that it lacks the baggage of the US console market."

Alibaba itself just recently put $215m into mobile-messaging startup Tango – the most notable of several major investments the firm has made toward various tech and game development studio’s in 2014.