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OUYA, maker of the $99 Android-based game console, looking for a buyer amid debt struggles

The Android-based OUYA gaming system never panned out quite like everyone expected. After receiving $8.5 million in funding via Kickstater, the device received mixed reviews and never caught on with the average consumer. Now, Forbes reports that OUYA is in desperate need of a buyer. According to the report, investment bank Mesa Global, which also handled Songza’s sale to Google, has been brought in to manage the sale of OUYA.

In addition to the Kickstarter campaign, OUYA raised $15 million in Series A funding, as well as venture debt from TriplePoint Capitol. OUYA is focusing now on recovering as much investor capital as possible. The company has been heavily touting its app selection recently and has reached an agreement to deliver its games via Xiaomi televisions. OUYA currently offers over 1,000 apps.

It’s unclear how much OUYA is looking to sell for, as that’s somewhat contingent upon the amount of venture debt from TriplePoint Capitol, which is unknown at this point. Nevertheless, OUYA’s sale is certainly something to keep in mind, especially with the recent launch of Android TV, which most likely played a part in the company’s decision to start looking for a buyer.

“Given our debtholder’s timeline, the process will be quick. We are looking for expressions of interest by the end of this month,” OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman wrote in a memo. “Our focus now is trying to recover as much investor capital as possible. We believe we’ve built something real and valuable. I continue to read the tweets and emails of our fans who play OUYA every day, and our catalog is now over 1,000 apps and 40,000 developers. We have the largest library of Android content for the TV (still more than Amazon) — hells ya!”

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Email: Chance@9to5mac.com

Chance currently writes for both 9to5Google and 9to5Mac, in addition to 9to5Toys.