Pyramid Saimira business announces agreement with Sony to develop Hanuman game for PlayStation® 2

Mumbai and London, 17th April 2008: Aurona Technologies, a member of the Pyramid Saimira group of India, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to develop a console game based on Hanuman for Sony’s PS2® console platform.
The Hanuman game will be Sony’s foray into launching country-specific titles for India’s fast-growing market for PlayStation 2® games.

Commenting on the agreement, Jim Ryan, co-chief operating officer of SCEE said, “We are committing significant resources to growing the market for console games in India. We have chosen the Hanuman game as our first title specifically developed for the Indian market as the theme is an ever-popular one across the country and to Indian abroad.  We selected Aurona after evaluating various game development companies in India.”

Santosh Pillai, CEO of Aurona and director of Pyramid Saimira Production Services said, “We are very excited to be selected by Sony to develop their first game for the Indian market. The game will be developed in our Hyderabad studios which has an impressive track record in shipping several PC and console games. Hanuman, as a character, offers infinite possibilities for game play development. Pyramid Saimira has earmarked considerable resources to grow the games market in India and this is the first in a series of initiatives from the group.”
As part of the agreement, the game will be distributed in markets outside India where there are significant Indian communities. The two companies might develop possible sequels for the title.

India’s console game market is growing at a fast pace and recent reductions in the price of PlayStation ®units has increased affordability significantly. This is expected to accelerate the growth further in the next twelve months. 

Notes to the editor:

About Aurona:
Aurona Technologies Limited, a leading entertainment software products company headquartered in London, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pyramid Saimira group, listed in BSE and NSE in India. Aurona’s Hyderabad game studio is India’s most prolific developer of PC , PS2 and Nintendo games for international clients. Aurona’s clients include several leading game publishers and Hollywood studios.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE):
SCEE, based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PLAYSTATION®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PLAYSTATION 3 in November 2006, over 10.5 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level.  Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 127 million consoles worldwide.  Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 34 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market.  With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, over 5 million people have registered to the PLAYSTATION Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and 81 million items downloaded.

PlayStation, PSP and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. UMD (Universal Media Disc) is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.