The Government of Karnataka, in association with the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI) and Startup Karnataka announced the seventh edition of Bengaluru GAFX 2026, Asia’s one of the largest annual conference and exhibitions for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, XR (AVGC-XR) and immersive and interactive content. Scheduled to be held from 27 February to 1 March 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.
Karnataka is at the forefront of India’s Orange Economy, where creativity, culture and cutting-edge technology converge. Backed by Bengaluru’s deep talent pool in digital content, gaming, VFX, XR, AI and real-time technologies, the state contributes close to 20 per cent 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.
Speaking at the curtain raiser, Government of Karnataka Electronics, Information Technology & Biotechnology and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge, 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 position Karnataka as a global hub for creative technology and next-generation storytelling.”
“Bengaluru GAFX reflects Karnataka’s long- term commitment to building a future-ready AVGC ecosystem across the entire value chain from skilling and infrastructure to startups and global market access. Through focused initiatives such as the AVGC-XR Policy and the Centre of Excellence (CoE), we are translating policy intent into measurable industry impact and global partnerships,” said Government of Karnataka Electronics, IT, BT and Science & Technology department secretary Dr. Manjula N., IAS.
“Bengaluru GAFX, in partnership with the Government of Karnataka, has reshaped how the world values India’s creative talent. ‘Evolution Reloaded’ 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,” said ABAI president Biren Ghose.
With a focal theme of ‘Evolution Reloaded,’ Bengaluru GAFX 2026 reflects the next phase of growth in the AVGC and immersive media industries, where human creativity converges with advanced technologies to redefine storytelling, gameplay, animation, and immersive experiences.
This vision is strongly aligned with the Karnataka AVGC-XR Policy 2024-2029. This Policy builds on Karnataka’s pioneering leadership in the sector and is designed to accelerate growth across AVGC-XR sector 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, advanced skilling, and technology adoption.
A key pillar of Karnataka’s AVGC strategy is the AVGC CoE, which serves as the operational backbone of the state’s creative technology ecosystem. The CoE has successfully executed over 200 projects across domestic and international markets, spanning AVGC-XR, and immersive content pipelines. It has also functioned as a critical incubation and shelter platform for 100+ AVGC startups, significantly lowering entry barriers by providing access to world-class infrastructure, licensed software, render capacity, and production-ready environments.
With AVGC CoE 2.0, the state is enabling state-wide scalability, extending access beyond Bengaluru to tier two and tier three 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.
Bengaluru GAFX 2026 highlights:
The upcoming event 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 across 100+ sessions, masterclasses and workshops, the summit will host global experts from leading studios such as ILM, Netflix, MrX, Base FX, Monk Studios and The Perlin. The event will feature making-of sessions from Oscar- and Bafta-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.
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.
