Robert Bowling Commits Exclusive to Ouya

Former Infinity Ward spokesperson Robert Bowling, who left this year to found Robotoki, is already promising a Ouya-only prequel to his next-generation game, Human Element.

One of the chief reasons to be skeptical of the Kickstarter-driven, Android-powered Ouya console is the lack of games. Some developers have committed games to the not-yet-realized platform, but most are expected to wait and see.

It makes some sense for a platform everyone has questions about to gain an exclusive from a game everyone has questions about, too. Bowling has said the proper game is coming in 2015.

In any case, Bowling recorded a video promising an episodic prequel to Human Element that gives players a taste of how the world changed immediately after zombies showed up. The game scheduled for the next set of game consoles actually takes place 35 years after, so it’s a significant leap back in the fiction.

Details on the game itself aren’t yet available, but Bowling said updates will be delivered to Kickstarter backers.

Wow

bizzare!

sounds iffy

Everything surrounding the OUYA seems like a great big clusterfuck right now. I'll be genuinely surprised if this game is profitable.

I wish platform exclusives would go away.

Feeling a little better about Ouya. They need to score a few more of these. How about Republique?

Makes sense. I could see them doing a mobile game as a prequel and to make it Ouya exclusive means it's gonna get a lot of press. If the whole thing goes balls up that would probably be unfortunate but not a massive deal.

Zombie cellphone games are pretty common on kickstarter, so it's fitting I guess? My excitement will remain reserved for now. Interesting, though.

This is probably not the win the Ouya folks are positioning it as. I'm pretty doubtful Robotoki will actually ship anything for any platform, to be honest.

Wat.

Is it weird that i confuse Robert Bowling with Cliff Bleszinski? It probably is.

2015

What would really be newsworthy is if this console ever actually launches.

I've donated to quite a number of Kickstarter projects--hell, I'm even wearing my Double Fine shirt right now--but everything about this project feels off. I'm predicting a Wii-like success, in that there will be a lot of early adapters by non-hardcore gamers and that the machine will eventually just gather dust. Though obviously without the insane 100+mil numbers of the Wii.

Stop the presses guys. This cellphone zombie game will be made EXCLUSIVELY for Ouya. WOW

So they're making an Ouya game on the side to build up buzz for their real game? Doesn't exactly sound like a big "get" for Ouya.

Ouya exclusives.

Let it sink in, folks. Ouya exclusives.

At first I saw "Robert Bowling Commits..." and there really aren't many good things that follow the word "commit." Suicide, grand larceny, etc.

I need to learn to read faster is what I'm saying

This makes me more intrigued about Ouya, now that someone's actually behind it.

I wish platform exclusives would go away.

I hope he doesn't roll a gutterball with this decision. -_-

@drew327 said:

2015

YEAR OF THE PS3

What a terrible turn of events.

Tell me more about your cell phone game, bro.

What a keen business mind Bowling has, announcing an exclusive game for a console that may never exist. He should probably seek a career in politics with wits like that.

So, if "Human Element" releases after the Ouya game, wouldn't that make the "real" game a sequel and not this a sequel and....whatever, who cares?

Great! Now no one will play this probably shitty game.

@rargy: You can take comfort in that you're not alone.

Vapourware game prequel announced for vapourware system. Makes sense.

Fuck this Ouya business, Robert Bowling's company is making a game about surviving in a zombie apocalypse! *sighs*

I'm indifferent about this, i mean human element is unknown so i don't know if it'll be any good (but i will try it). and its already getting an OUYA (another unknown...that i will still try) exclusive sequel (double unknown?).... so I don't exactly know how i am supposed to feel about this article :P

I had three distinct levels of fakeout on this announcement.

First, I saw "Robert Bowling commits" and thought something terrible had happened.

Then, I confused Robert Bowling for West and/or Zampella and thought this was the biggest announcement of all time.

Then, I finally read "episodic prequel to a game coming in 2015, only on Ouya" and realized this whole thing is madness and I just started laughing and laughing and laughing

-So I guess what I'm trying to say here is just let me know when Dietrich crashes the Ferrari.

@the_r0n1n_named_47: You're supposed to go with the flow like everyone else and understand that we as the audience know nothing of either the game or platforms future. It's getting silly how many people are commenting that "OUYA will never come out" or that "Oh wow, a game on a stupid platform," because they don't have the intelligence to look farther out than their nose.

I'm excited, seems like a push in the right direction.

Awesome, that guy who used to run the forums at Infinity Ward is putting out a game. I smell money.

@crusader8463 said:

I wish platform exclusives would go away.

Yes. It is contradictory to Hurray! a supposedly "Consumer Freindly" OPEN platform, with one of the most ancient and detestable "anti consumer" policies in video games.

such as console exclusivity.

@drew327: The way I understood it, Human Element comes out in 2015 and an Ouya-exclusive prequel to Human Element will come sooner.

2015? We might as well be talking about flying cars and Mr. Fusions. And another game about zombies? Hopefully Bowling can surprise with some different elements because by 2015, I think there are going to be enough zombie games to last a lifetime.

Seems like being around so much money at activision has made him burned out on it.

That certainly isn't interesting, though I did read a somewhat interesting interview with Bowling about Robotoki and Human Element, wasn't it on Game Informer?

Anyway, sorry Ooyu-yaah-joo?, I'm not sold yet - in to be honest I don't think I ever will be.

how is this a viable source of revenue for any developer, isnt this a free to play conole, and even if paid what stops anyone from pirating the game

hover hands

@xMEGADETHxSLY said:

how is this a viable source of revenue for any developer, isnt this a free to play conole, and even if paid what stops anyone from pirating the game

as far as I know the only demand OUYA has for games published on the console is that there has to be a way to try the game for free - which includes demos. The game itself doesn't necessarily have to be free as long as there is a free demo or trial. Also, Android has measures against piracy in the OS, it all depends on how the developers (both on the hardware and software level) choose to make use of it.

@NMC2008 said:

I hope he doesn't roll a gutterball with this decision. -_-

GET OFF THE STAGE!

At this point the only interesting thing about this weird little console is watching the kickstarter number get bigger

I saw "Robert Bowling Commits" out of the corner of my eye...

obviously, I'm glad it's not what I thought it was.

Shoulda gone with "Robert Bowling commits Ouya-cide" instead.

@GalacticPunt said:

Ouya exclusives.

Let it sink in, folks. Ouya exclusives.

Oh yes!

@xMEGADETHxSLY said:

how is this a viable source of revenue for any developer, isnt this a free to play conole, and even if paid what stops anyone from pirating the game

I believe it has been said that they are going to make sure the actual Android kernel is stable and not easily hackable. The "hackable" part comes from the SDK if I am not mistaken. The point of the Ouya is to create a platform for developers to easily release lower budget titles with trials and demos so gamers can give everything a spin before they buy.

Hopefully, the "you can hack it" quote from the Kickstarter pitch video was a bit of a misstep or, yeah, Bowling just announced the biggest "adver game" for his next-gen title.

It's unlikely the company behind Ouya will even have enough money or sway to pump out more than 200,000 units by their release date. Kinda shooting themselves in the foot by going after such a small install base. Not to mention how easy it is to pirate on Android with the Ouya people themselves saying it's easy to hack, this whole thing screams stupid.

and the 360 will come down to close to $100 next year, good luck taking that on.