The event is organised by the Department of Electronics, IT, BT & S&T, Government of Karnataka and ABAI
Bengaluru, NFAPost: Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge inaugurated Bengaluru GAFX 2025 Conference stating Karnatak’s growing stature in India’s rising AVGC-XR market.
Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Biocon Limited Executive Chairperson & Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Karnataka Department of Electronics, IT, BT & S&T Secretary Ekroop Caur and Bengaluru GAFX Chairman & ABAI President Biren Ghose were present at the inaugural function.
India’s largest and most influential Bengaluru GAFX 2025 Conference helps attendees experience the power of immersive technologies in storytelling, from real-time rendering breakthroughs to the transformative potential of virtual and augmented reality.
Speaking at the function, Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge said Bengaluru GAFX 2025 is a premier platform which will bring together global thought leaders, visionary creatives, and cutting-edge innovations, fostering collaboration and shaping the future of the industry.
“Bengaluru GAFX serves the AVGC industry as a vital platform for collaboration between Indian and global talent. The event brings together leading international and domestic studios, along with industry veterans, to showcase some of the most acclaimed and high-profile titles. By fostering cross-industry synergy, GAFX continues to drive innovation and excellence in the animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics landscape,” said Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge.
He highlighted the fact that the global AVGC-XR market is expected to grow to $882 billion by FY30, up from $596.7 billion by FY26.
“India currently contributes less than 1% to the global market, but with the right policies, it could expand to 3% by FY30, reaching $26 billion. The Animation & VFX industry in India is growing at a CAGR of 10.94%, while the Gaming industry follows closely at 9.64% CAGR,” said Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge.
The Karnataka IT&BT Minister also said from 2014 to 2020, Indian gaming startups attracted $350 million in venture capital funding, and the sector is growing at an impressive CAGR of 22%.
“India’s AVGC sector is export-driven, with 70-80% of work for global clients. The country is poised to capture more of the global AVGC market, estimated to grow at a CAGR of 37% through FY 2031, driven by rising internet access and a telecom revolution. India’s online gaming market is currently valued at $2.6 billion and is expected to nearly double by 2025. India is surpassing major markets like China in game downloads,” said Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge.
The Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) Task Force under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has called for a National AVGC-XR Mission with a budget outlay to be created for integrated promotion & growth of the AVGC sector.
“Consumer behaviour is shifting towards shorter, snackable content and immersive experiences, driving new trends in storytelling and media consumption. Global collaboration between Indian and foreign studios for co-productions, despite language barriers,” said Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge.
The Karnataka AVGC Policy 2024-2029 is designed to propel this sector by setting up AVGC Centers of Excellence to provide world-class training and R&D support. Besides enhancing industry-academia collaboration to equip students with job-ready skills, Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the state government is providing production grants and incentives to encourage local content creation.
“Our flagship grant in aid program ELEVATE has seen numerous AVGC sector startup ideas that have been funded by the Department. Expanding our e-sports and gaming ecosystem, recognizing its potential as the next frontier in digital entertainment. Karnataka already houses over 300 AVGC companies, contributing nearly 20% to India’s AVGC output. Our vision is to make Bengaluru the global capital of digital content creation,” said Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge.
As part of embracing emerging technologies, Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge said there is a need for investing in Artificial Intelligence, Extended Reality, and other cutting-edge fields to stay ahead in the AVGC domain.
