First two Ouya 'Free the Games' projects meet funding goals [Update]
The first two games from Ouya's Free the Games promotion have been funded on Kickstarter. Gridiron Thunder, a football game that uses official NFL licensing, reached its $75,000 goal with 13 days left in its campaign. The other funded game, Elementary, My Dear Holmes met its $50,000 goal with 17 days left. Developed by Vancouver-based Victory Square Games, point-and-click adventure game Elementary, My Dear Holmes has players investigating mysteries not as the famous Baker Street sleuth, but as his faithful companion John Watson.
Ouya's $1 million Free the Games campaign has the company matching funds for successfully Kickstarted projects that earn at least $50,000. Ouya will match up to $250,000 for an individual project, the trade-off being that each game must remain Ouya-exclusive for six months. The company said more than 40 games have been submitted for the program, and 11 campaigns are live, including that of Gridiron Thunder and Elementary, My Dear Holmes.
Update: We've contacted both Ouya and Kickstarter regarding Gridiron Thunder's legitimacy, as the project's $78,259 came from just 126 backers, with some suspect funding spikes as tracked by Kicktraq. We will update as we learn more.
Update #2: Ouya responded with a statement to Joystiq, saying that "based on our program's guidelines, the team behind Gridiron Thunder have successfully qualified to receive the match and we couldn't be more excited to see them bring their game along with their supportive community to Ouya."
Show full PR text
Grid Iron Thunder and Elementary, My Dear Holmes! hit their Kickstarter goals today, making them the first two games to secure matching contributions from OUYA's $1 million Free the Games Fund. Gridiron Thunder, an immersive pro football experience from MogoTXT, surpassed its $75,000 goal with 13 days left. Elementary, My Dear Holmes!, Victory Square Games' unique spin on Sherlock Holmes, reached its $50,000 goal with 17 days remaining.
The Free the Games Fund, which launched Aug. 9, is the first of its kind offering $1 million in matching funds for Kickstarted, OUYA-exclusive games, ensuring a steady stream of inventive and creative content into the living room and for OUYA fans for years to come. To date, more than 30 projects have registered to launch projects eligible for the program and 11 campaigns are already live. You can find more information here: http://www.ouya.tv/free-the-games-is-on/.
