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Ouya secures $15 million in funding, Bing Gordon joins board
Ouya has picked up a new board member with some industry klout – no really, he's on Klout's board too – in the the form of former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon. "What we really liked about Bing is that he doesn't get constrained by conventional thinking, and that's a lot about what we do at Ouya," CEO Julie Uhrman tells Joystiq. "And he also is a really big supporter of game creators, and that's been one of the key focuses of Ouya. It felt like a perfect match." Gordon will be helping the company seek out new games and promote the Ouya itself, she says. The company has also secured $15 million in new funding. "We want to be in this for the long haul," says Uhrman. "This money will allow us to continue to support game developers as well as meet the demand that we're seeing from retailers and really gamers all over the world." Ouya has seen higher than expected demand, she says – so high, apparently, that the company delayed the launch from June 4 to June 25 to manufacture more units – and this new funding will help "service that demand." The funding may also help Ouya expand beyond its initial launch territories, North America, Canada and the UK. Many regions have shown an interest in Ouya, she says. "We will be able to look at those regions and determine what makes sense for Ouya, and be there when we want to be there."
Guess who's leaving EA? Bing goes!
EA co-founder and Chief Creative Officer (and mountain biker), William "Bing" Gordon, is leaving the monolithic publisher to join Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) as a Partner. Gordon, who has been with EA for 25 years, won't be severing all ties before he goes, as he'll occasionally drop by to "lead periodic workshops on innovation with EA Studio leaders" under his fancy new title, Chief Creative Officer Emeritus. Over at KPCB, he'll be relied on to "provide his unique insight and expertise to entrepreneurs in consumer technologies" as of June 9, 2008. KPCB Partner John Doerr notes, "His success with dynamic and engaging digital entertainment and consumer media is invaluable for innovators in mobility, social networks, gaming and entertainment – indeed, in any area that interacts directly with consumers."As you've likely played at least one of the numerous franchises Gordon has been critically involved with -- Madden NFL, The Sims, Need for Speed, to name a few -- you may want to see what he has to share in a Q&A with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. "As much as anything else, after 25 years at EA, I'm ready to be a forty-year old," says Gordon.They grow up so fast, don't they?Read -- AnnouncementRead -- Q&A
