Ouya ships to backers March 28

Ouya units will begin to go out to Kickstarter backers March 28, CEO Julie Uhrman announced today.

Today's update also included details on games coming to Ouya in the future, the results of the Create game jam and the team's hiring of thatgamecompany co-founder Kellee Santiago.

Uhrman noted that the units "might take a few weeks to get to everyone," since "we have a lot of Ouyas to ship!" A total of 63,416 people backed the Kickstarter campaign last year, to the tune of nearly $8.6 million. The retail launch is still set for June, Uhrman confirmed.

Kickstarter backers will "get to watch Ouya evolve over the coming weeks and months," said Uhrman. "We'll continue to add new features, refine our user experience, and bring on more games."

Uhrman went on to list some of the games coming soon to Ouya.

Quantum Conundrum developer Airtight Games is working on an Ouya-exclusive title. Studio creative lead Kim Swift called it a "funky, unique game" and said, "We truly feel that this platform will give us the freedom to fully realize" it.

Minority Media, developer of the heartfelt 2012 PlayStation Network title Papo & Yo, is working on a puzzle adventure game and will bring it to Ouya this fall. Uhrman said it will be the first game to make simultaneous use of the Ouya's buttons and touchpad.

Tripwire Interactive's The Ball (screenshot above) will be available on Ouya in March, and the company behind Killing Floor and Red Orchestra 2 is also making a new game that will be exclusive to Ouya. And Ouya is working with nWay to bring its action RPG ChronoBlade to the platform.

"We have a lot of Ouyas to ship!"

In addition, Uhrman announced the winners of the 10-day Create game jam, which Ouya undertook last month in partnership with Kill Screen:

• Create Grand Prize: Strange Happenings on Murder Island (Free Lives)
• Most Surprising: Television (Laboratory Games LLC)
• Four Bright Buttons and Two Sticks: Bombball (E McNeill)
• Most Immersive: Whispering Willows (Night Light Interactive)
• Pop Your Eyes Out: Pipnis (Santa Ragione)
• Best Couch with Friends Games: 2D Cube Zombie Platformer (Molinware)
• Best Game Created Using Unity Engine: Stikbold (Team Stikbold)

Lastly, Uhrman announced that Kellee Santiago, formerly of Journey developer thatgamecompany, has joined the Ouya team as the leader of developer relations, with the official title of "Developer's Best Friend." Santiago left thatgamecompany last March, shortly after Journey's launch. She most recently worked with Indie Fund, an investment firm that aims to allow indie developers to make their games while staying financially independent.

"Ouya gets it," said Santiago in an update posted to Ouya's Kickstarter page. "This is the first console company that really understands how important it is to remove the barriers to development. By freeing up the development process, Ouya is opening up new doors in console gaming."