Sun Microsystems and Paradox Studios launch the first-ever Java Developer Challenge for the Gaming Industry

Paradox Studios | Bangalore - Mar 28, 2004: Sun Microsystems India Pvt. Ltd. and Paradox Studios Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Infocomm, today announced the initiation of 'Java Game Developers Challenge,' the first ever wireless game developers contest in the country. The event, which aims to promote the adoption of J2ME amongst the gaming developer community, is an extension to Sun's partnership with Paradox Studios, India's premier game development company.

Several thousand developers and students will participate in the event which was kicked off today across India. Participants will step out of their average roles to feverishly develop a J2ME based game application and contest for a host of special prizes sponsored by Paradox Studios, including a top prize of Rs 1.5 Lakh, along with a Java Library. Other fantastic prizes will include a second prize of Rs 75, 000 and a third prize of Rs 50, 000 with a selection from the Java library for both. A range of consolation prizes will also be up for grabs up to the value of Rs 1 lakh. Top applications could also stand to win potential commercialization, with the developers being offered a placement at Paradox Studios. The competition will challenge the developer community to create the best Java games, by putting their skills and creativity to test. This unique event will also provide a perfect opportunity to the student community to explore the opportunity to jumpstart their careers in the rapidly growing gaming industry.

The competitors will have to register online for the contest on the website www.j2mechallenge.com, and will be given a period of 2 months to develop a fully functional game code for Nokia Series 60 phones, using the contest assets provided on the website. While the first level of screening will be undertaken by Paradox, the final evaluation will be undertaken by a panel of judges comprising of top industry heads and media personalities. The applications will be evaluated on factors such as originality & creativity in game design, innovation in technology and commercial viabilility of the game.

(List of judges enclosed).

"The 'Java Game Developers Challenge' is an excellent platform for our young inventors to put their skills and creativity to the test, at the same time providing them with an environment to learn from the experts. With so many creative ideas on show, the experts and the industry can also learn and tap on them as there will be a number of talents and applications, which may be of interest to telcos, device makers and others. Additionally, the contest would help provide an added needed impetus to the java developer community in the country," said K. P. Unnikrishnan, Marketing Director, Sun Microsystems India Pvt. Ltd.

"Paradox Studios strongly encourages activities such as the 'Java Game Developers Challenge' because capability development is essential to strengthen India's position as a leader in entertainment software application development. This is one area where young people can plant the seeds of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and have fun doing so," said Salil Bhargava, CMO, Paradox Studios. He added, "The Java environment is brilliant for providing stability and enabling people to have access from a multitude of devices, enabling developers to reach much larger audiences than ever before without having to port applications. There is an industry-wide movement toward Java technology-based application development and we believe that participants will immensely benefit from this event."

About Paradox Studios Ltd.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Infocomm, Paradox Studios Ltd. is among the leading game developers in India with a portfolio that spans more than 100 titles for wireless devices. The company also develops innovative, high-quality single and multiplayer games for other platforms as the PC and Web and recently launched their maiden PC title 'BattleDust: The Championship'. The first game development company to release multiplayer wireless games in India, Paradox's multiplayer wireless games are available live on the Reliance India Mobile Network, with their single player games clocking 750,000 downloads a day. Paradox's games are available with carriers like Reliance India Mobile and Hutch (Thailand), and are also distributed across the US, Europe, Asia and South Africa. More information can be found at the company website www.paradox-studios.com.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100

countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com or the Asia South website at http://sun.com.sg.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Aparna Devi Pratap

Sun Microsystems India Pvt Ltd

Ph: 080 - 2298989

Fax: 080 - 2231794

Email: [email protected]

Tarika Mukerjee

Paradox Studios Limited

Ph: 022 3036 4563

Fax: 022 3036 4295

Email: [email protected]

Vishak Gopinath (Bangalore) / Sowmya Ravindranath

Vaishnavi Corporate Communications / Perfect Relations

Ph: 080 - 2201580 / 080 -25598245

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]