In a bid to position Kerala as an internationally recognized center for AVGC-XR innovation, the State is planning a new Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) policy.

The state’s government nodal agency Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has published a draft AVGC-XR policy and has invited feedback from the public.

According to the draft published by KSUM, the state aims to become the hub of the sector in the country. The desired outcome of the new policy would be to drive the inception and expansion of 250 AVGC-XR and to create 50,000 new jobs by 2029.

Further Kerala plans to contribute about 10 percent of India’s export revenues in the AVGC-XR industry, by 2029. The KSUM also intends to incubate 150 AVGC-XR startups in Kerala, by 2029.

“The surge in demand for animation, VFX, and video gaming can be attributed to increased TV viewership, affordable internet access, widespread use of mobile devices, and the popularity of streaming videos,” stated the draft policy.

The size of the global animation market is expected to be $432 billion by 2024 and likely to grow to $587.1 billion by 2030.

The policy also proposes setting up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Thiruvananthapuram for AVGC-XR which will be the cornerstone of the ecosystem in the State. The CoE will serve as the anchor of talent development, innovation, and R&D.

Centre of Excellence

“The government will identify 20 acres of land in Thiruvananthapuram to locate the CoE. Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) will be the nodal agency responsible for setting up the CoE and implementing the AGVC-XR policy,” stated the document.

The CoE will administer specialized programs, including Ph.D., to augment R&D and innovation.

The physical infrastructure development will be carried out in two phases, aligning with the immediate requirements and long-term industry trends.

Phase 1 would be the immediate development of specialized facilities across the State for Animation, VFX, and Comics, and in the second phase the broadening of the scope to include e-Gaming and XR, integrated with the Emerging Technology Hub of KSUM.