Ouya secures $15 million in new funding

Ouya today announced that it has raised $15 million in new funding, as the $99 Android-powered console has been delayed to June 25. The extra money comes from venture capital firms and will be used to support the platform's development community and "meet increased demand" for the system's impending launch, originally slated for June 4.

Venture capital funding was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), with support from the Mayfield Fund, Nvidia, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners.

The $15 million in new funding piles on top of the $8.6 million raised through Ouya's original Kickstarter campaign last year. According to the company, today's announcement of venture capital funding "validates" the company's business strategy.

"We want Ouya to be here for a long time to come," Ouya founder Julie Uhrman said in a statement. "The message is clear: people want Ouya. We first heard this from Kickstarter backers who provided more than $8 million to help us build Ouya, then from over 12,000 developers who have registered to make an Ouya game, next from retailers who are carrying Ouya online and soon on store shelves, and now from top pioneering investors."

Ouya also announced today that industry veteran Bing Gordon, who served as chief creative officer at Electronic Arts for ten years, has joined the company's board of directors. He will advise the company as it ramps up its development community and the platform releases to retail. Gordon also serves on the board of directors at Amazon and Zynga, among others.

The Ouya launches publicly on June 25 at Amazon, Best Buy, GAME, GameStop, and Target, as well as through the Ouya online store. Additional controllers can be purchased for $50.