Gearbox cautious about Ouya

BOSTON--Borderlands developer Gearbox Software is cautious about the Ouya. Speaking during a panel at PAX East, CEO Randy Pitchford said the studio has obtained some development kits, but is wary to support the platform due to concerns over install base.

"I think our mission is to entertain people, right? Wherever people happen to be. I think Ouya is great. I contributed to it on Kickstarter; I have a dev kit. Some people are playing with the kits around the studio," Pitchford said. "I'm not sure how much effort to put towards that because[…]I don't how large that audience is going to be yet. And we have to be responsible."

Pitchford explained that the decision to support Ouya is ultimately about business.

"One of the challenges with game makers is increasingly people who get very good at certain things like programming or art or design, they expect to get paid a lot," he said. "And what that means is it becomes very expensive to create video games. And if we don't make as much as we spend, we don't get to keep doing it. We don't want to be amongst those studios that close down."

Though Gearbox may not be an active supporter of Ouya, Pitchford said he expects up-and-coming developers to make compelling products for the device.

"I'm interested in the platform and I love efforts like that. And I'm certain that some industrious, clever, up-and-comers will take advantage of emerging platforms."

The $99 Ouya will launch this June through the company's website and via major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and GameStop.