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Netflix's Eyeline Studios opens in Hyderabad as India's AVGC week blends big investment with talent pipeline debate

This was a week in which the gap between India's AVGC-XR ambitions and its structural realities came into sharp relief. The headline event was Netflix's launch of Eyeline Studios in Hyderabad — a facility that represents, as Rana Daggubati rightly noted, decades of accumulated craft finally attracting tier-one global infrastructure investment. Alongside it, Rodeo FX quietly opened a Bangalore studio, and AutoVRse closed a $2 million raise led by Lumikai, signalling that both the VFX services corridor and the domestic XR startup ecosystem are drawing serious capital simultaneously. Set against that investment story, however, were signs of persistent fragility. DNEG's reported job cuts serve as a reminder that even world-class Indian-founded studios are not insulated from the structural pressures reshaping global VFX. The Ministry's AVGC talent workshops and IICT-Mumbai's formalised career pathways are welcome, but the volume of education-focused briefs this week — Arena Animation's anniversary, AAFT Raipur, UID-Zebu — points to an industry still trying to solve a pipeline problem that has been discussed for years. On the creative side, Digikore joining Rings of Power S3 and 88 Pictures taking on Darkwing Duck continue the steady drumbeat of Indian studios securing marquee international commissions. The Netflix-ChuChu TV deal is a different kind of milestone: Indian IP, not just Indian services, reaching a global platform. The WAVES positioning and the 'Create in India' framing from government suggest policy intent is coalescing, even if execution timelines remain vague.

From our desk

  1. ReportNetflix, Rodeo FX and Barnstorm have opened VFX studios in Hyderabad and Bangalore

    Netflix gives its Hyderabad office for Eyeline Studios as 32,000 square feet, Eyeline's fifth global location [1]. Mikros gives the Rodeo FX studio in Bangalore as 40,000 square feet for up to 400 artists [3]. No announcement gives a money figure [1].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

  2. AnalysisDesibel is a two-year grant from the French embassy and the French Institute in India, with no value published

    Desibel is backed by a two-year grant of unstated value, introduced by the Embassy of France in India and the French Institute in India [5]. Its three Indian partners work in libraries, publishing and animation [6]. The India-France joint statement of 17 February 2026 does not name it [4].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

  3. ReportVirtuCamera 2 Pro adds custom scripts, gamepad control and studio licensing across six DCCs

    The Weird Byte finished the Pro rollout on 14 September. Pro features are included on Pro Indie, Pro Business and Pro Enterprise, while companies cannot use Standard or Pro Indie and must use Pro Business or Pro Enterprise [1][2]. Apple Business Manager does not currently support app subscriptions, while Managed Google Play does not provide tools to manage paid applications or recurring subscriptions [4].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

  4. ReportMadhya Pradesh's AVGC-XR policy pays 25 per cent of studio capex up to ₹30 crore

    Madhya Pradesh's published AVGC-XR Policy 2025 offers studios a 25 per cent capital subsidy capped at ₹30 crore, and sets its caps and sanction limits over a policy period it never defines [1]. Haryana's notified policy caps capital support at ₹10 crore a unit [2].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

  5. ReportIndia's national creative-tech institute enrolled 136 students in its first year, against a stated goal of about 300

    The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies enrolled 136 students across 18 courses in its first year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the Lok Sabha on 11 March 2026 [4]. A government note of November 2025 had set the inaugural batch at about 300 students [5].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

  6. AnalysisHaryana's AVGC-XR policy reimburses 30 per cent of studio capex up to ₹10 crore, and only for units with at least 50 staff

    Haryana's policy reimburses 30 per cent of eligible capital spend up to ₹10 crore a unit, for units that directly employ at least 50 people for a year [1]. As of 21 September, the state's schemes page lists no scheme to claim it under [27].

    By AVGC-XR Desk

This week on the wire

  1. Netflix Opens Eyeline Studios in Hyderabad

    Eyeline Studios represents Netflix's most concrete long-term infrastructure commitment to India's AVGC sector, moving the conversation from co-production deals to owned facilities.

  2. Digikore Studios joins 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' S3

    Digikore's involvement in a prestige global franchise at season three level signals that Indian VFX studios are now trusted with sustained, not one-off, marquee commissions.

  3. DNEG may cut hundreds of jobs at headquarters and multiple cities

    DNEG's potential job cuts are a structural warning: global VFX consolidation and AI disruption do not spare Indian-founded studios, regardless of Oscar-winning credentials.

  4. VR startup AutoVRse raises $2 million in funding led by Lumikai

    Lumikai leading AutoVRse's $2 million round confirms that India's specialist gaming and XR fund is actively building a domestic XR investment thesis, not just advising on it.

  5. Netflix acquires ChuChu TV preschool content for global streaming

    Netflix acquiring ChuChu TV content for global streaming marks a meaningful shift from Indian animation as a service export to Indian IP travelling on its own merits.

  6. Former Technicolor India leaders launch Astra Studios with Hombale Group backing

    Astra Studios, backed by Hombale Group with Technicolor India veterans at the helm, is the kind of well-capitalised, experienced-led studio launch the industry has needed more of.

  7. 88 Pictures to animate new Darkwing Duck series

    88 Pictures animating the Darkwing Duck revival adds another major franchise to an Indian studio's portfolio, reinforcing India's role in global character animation production.

  8. Rodeo FX opens new studio in Bangalore

    Rodeo FX's Bangalore opening, though sparsely reported, adds another international studio to India's VFX geography beyond Mumbai and Hyderabad.

  9. Arena Animation Malleswaram student film 'Machli' selected for SIGGRAPH Asia 2026

    A student short from Arena Animation Malleswaram reaching SIGGRAPH Asia 2026 is a rare instance of institutional animation education producing work that clears a genuinely competitive global bar.

  10. One Life Studios expands global footprint with German and Indian distribution deals

    One Life Studios securing distribution in Germany and Gujarat simultaneously illustrates the dual frontier Indian content companies must now navigate: international market access and domestic regional reach.

  11. Ministry organizes AVGC talent development workshop across schools and colleges

    The Ministry's AVGC talent workshop across schools and colleges matters less for immediate impact than for what it signals about where in the education pipeline the government believes the bottleneck sits.

  12. Tamil Nadu IT Minister criticises Online Gaming Act as copy-paste move

    Tamil Nadu's IT Minister publicly dismissing the Online Gaming Act as a copy-paste exercise surfaces the regulatory fragmentation that continues to complicate national gaming policy coherence.