MUMBAI: When cosplay meets classroom and panels turn into portfolios, you know India’s creative industry is getting its origin story right. In a move straight out of a well-scripted crossover, Comic Con India and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) have inked an MoU to jointly supercharge India’s animation, gaming, comics, and extended reality (AVGC-XR) ecosystem.
The partnership, announced during the launch of the IICT-NFDC campus in Mumbai and the unveiling of the WAVES Outcome Report, was signed by Ashish Kulkarni, Board Member, IICT, and Shefali Johnson, CEO, Comic Con India. The high-powered event also saw the presence of government heavyweights like Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ashwini Vaishnaw, union minister for I&B, Railways and IT, and Sanjay Jaju, secretary, ministry of information & broadcasting, a clear signal that India’s creative economy is getting serious state backing.
Comic Con India, now part of Nodwin Gaming, has long been the country’s pop culture mothership, attracting fans, creators, and cosplayers in droves. On the other side, IICT, a newly announced National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR aims to be the IIT of the creative world, with a mission to train top talent, foster original IP, and bridge academia with the industry.
The MoU packs in more than just fanfare. IICT students will get a dedicated showcase zone at Comic Con India events, along with masterclasses from top creators in gaming, comics, animation, and XR. The partnership also includes hackathons, design jams, behind-the-scenes internships, and initiatives to promote youth-led fan art and indie content creation.
The collaboration comes at a time when India’s AVGC-XR sector is levelling up. As per the FX & Beyond: Shaping India’s AVGC Landscape report, the sector accounted for 20 per cent of the broader M&E industry in 2023, with revenues of 3.9 billion dollars. That figure is projected to rise to 6.8 billion dollars by 2026. Perhaps more crucially, AVGC-XR is expected to generate 160,000 new jobs annually with a roadmap to reach over 2 million direct jobs by 2030.
“We are proud to collaborate with IICT as part of the broader AVGC-XR vision for India,” said Shefali Johnson. “Through Comic Con, students can gain mentorship, connect with pop culture communities, and better understand the commercial dynamics of their craft.”
Ashish Kulkarni added, “This partnership aligns perfectly with the government’s vision of making India a global creative content hub. We aim to carve pathways for Indigenous IP using a transmedia ecosystem and build a vibrant pipeline of cultural ambassadors from India.”
For fans, creators, and students alike, this crossover has franchise potential. With India looking to go from content consumer to content powerhouse, the IICT-Comic Con alliance might just be the origin story the AVGC-XR sector needs.
Get your pens and pixels ready.
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