The Government of Karnataka, in association with the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI) and Startup Karnataka, announced the 7th edition of Bengaluru GAFX 2026, Asia’s largest annual conference and exhibition for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, XR, and immersive and interactive content. Scheduled to be held from February 27 to March 1, 2026, at Hotel Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru, the event will bring together creators, studios, technologists, investors, and industry leaders from across the global media and entertainment ecosystem.

KarnatakaisattheforefrontofIndia’sOrangeEconomy,wherecreativity,cultureandcutting- edgetechnologyconverge.BackedbyBengaluru’sdeeptalentpoolindigitalcontent,gaming, VFX, XR, AI and real-time technologies, the state contributes close to 20% of the country’s Media & Entertainment industry, with 300+ AVGC-XR studios and a workforce of around 15,000 professionals, supported by a strong freelance and gig ecosystem.

‘EvolutionReloaded’:PoweringtheNextPhaseofCreative Growth

Thethemeforthisyear,“EvolutionReloaded,” reflectsthenextphaseofgrowthintheAVGC and immersive media industries—where human creativity converges with advanced technologies to redefine storytelling, gameplay, animation, and immersive experiences. Bengaluru GAFX 2026 celebrates this evolution by recharging skills, redefining progress, and reimagining what is possible across animation, VFX, gaming, AI-driven creativity, and immersive technologies.

This vision is strongly aligned with the Karnataka AVGC-XR Policy 2024–2029, India’s most progressiveandfuture-readyAVGCpolicyframework.TheAVGCPolicybuildsonKarnataka’s pioneering leadership in the sector and is designed to accelerate growth across Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, XR, and emerging creative technologies.

The policy is aligned with global shifts towards AI-driven content pipelines, real-time rendering, virtual production, immersive media, and interactive storytelling, and enables the ecosystem through targeted incentives for IP creation, R&D, global collaborations, advancedskilling,andtechnologyadoption.Together,theseinitiativespositionKarnatakaas a preferred global destination for AVGC-XR production, innovation, and exports.

AVGC Centre of Excellence : Backbone of the Ecosystem

A key pillar of Karnataka’s AVGC strategy is the AVGC Centre of Excellence(CoE),which serves as the operational backbone of the state’s creative technology ecosystem.

The CoE has successfullyexecutedover200projectsacrossdomesticandinternationalmarkets,spanning animation, VFX, gaming, XR, and immersive content pipelines.

It has also functioned as a critical incubation and shelter platform for 100+ AVGC startups, significantlyloweringentrybarriersbyprovidingaccesstoworld-classinfrastructure,licensed software, render capacity, and production-ready environments.

WithAVGC CoE 2.0, the state is enabling state-wide scalability, extending access beyond Bengaluru toTier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and establishing a distributed creative technology network. By integrating machine learning, cloud-based production pipelines, real-time engines, and XR authoring tools, the CoE ensures Karnataka’s creative workforce and enterprises remain globally competitive, future-ready, and innovation-led.

GAFX2026 Highlights and Global Participation
The summit will feature special sessions on major Indian productions including Kantara Chapter 1, Netflix’s Kurukshetra, Mahavatar Narasimha,Dhurandhar, and Lokah. Highlights also include a book-to-screen session on Indian mythology with author Anand Neelkanthan, along with cinematography and virtual production sessions featuring Directors of Photography from Kantara, Baahubali and OG.

With 200+speakers across100+sessions,masterclassesandworkshops,GAFX2026willhost globalexpertsfromleadingstudiossuchasILM,Netflix,MrX,BaseFX,MonkStudiosandThe Perlin.The event will feature making-of sessions from Oscar-andBAFTA-nominated projects, a strong gaming track, world-class VFX masterclasses, a dedicated AI for VFX track, Comics Street, board game launches, the GAFX Art Challenges, and a B2B Investor Connect, positioning GAFX as a key convergence point for the future of visual storytelling.

Speaking at the curtain raiser, Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, said “For over a decade, Bengaluru GAFX has been a key catalyst for India’s AVGC sector—bringing together talent, technology, policy and global opportunity on a single platform. ‘Evolution

Reloaded’reflects Karnataka’s belief that the next phase of AVGC growth will be driven by the convergence of deep technology and human creativity. GAFX embodies our ambition to positionKarnatakaasaglobalhubforcreativetechnologyandnext-generationstorytelling.”

Dr.ManjulaN.,IAS,Secretary to Government,Department of Electronics,IT,BT and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, said “Bengaluru GAFX reflects Karnataka’s long- termcommitmenttobuildingafuture-readyAVGCecosystemacrosstheentirevaluechain— from skilling and infrastructure to startups and global market access.

Through focused initiatives such as the AVGC-XR Policy and the Centre of Excellence, we are translating policy intent into measurable industry impact and global partnerships.”

Mr.BirenGhose,President,ABAI,said“BengaluruGAFX,in partnership with the Government ofKarnataka,hasreshapedhowtheworldvaluesIndia’screativetalent.‘EvolutionReloaded’ is our declaration that the future of storytelling belongs to humans who can command new intelligence, including AI. GAFX is where that future takes shape.”

Over the years, Bengaluru GAFX has hosted leading global studios and brands such as Walt Disney Animation, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Netflix and Rockstar Games, reinforcing Bengaluru’s position as a global hub for creative technology and digital storytelling.

As the industry prepares for its next phase of growth, Bengaluru GAFX 2026 – Evolution Reloaded invites creators, innovators and visionaries to be part of a movement shaping the future of India’s Orange Economy and the global AVGC-XR landscape.

Formoreinformation,visit:www.gafx.in