Nasscom Lowers Forecast for Animation Industry

Mumbai, Aug. 26 The apex body of IT software and services, Nasscom, has lowered its 2012 forecast for the animation industry by 27.7 per cent and gaming industry by 16.3 per cent.

It now expects revenues from the animation industry to touch $830 million, against the earlier estimate of $1060 million, and revenues from the gaming industry to touch $1000 million against $1163 million.

This downward revision is largely on account of slackened demand due to the global economic downturn. “…the domestic box office for animation movies has not picked up as estimated, end-to-end skill sets not being developed in the animation services industry and proof of concept/IP creation not up to expectations,” Nasscom said in a press statement.

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Govt plans Excellence Centre in Animation

The government is finalising plans to set up a National Centre in Excellence in animation, game and visual effects to meet the shortage of skilled professionals in this growing sector.

According to Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources said the centre could come up in Pune as the Film and TV Institute of India is already there. The centre would be set up through public-private partnership.

Earlier, the Working Group Report of 11th Five-Year Plan had suggested that the government should set up a Centre for Excellence in animation, gaming and special effects to address the problem of manpower shortage in such a high-tech content industry.

With the Indian animation and gaming Industry expected to grow, the I&B ministry has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to prepare a report on the human resources requirement for this sector. The consultancy is drawing the blueprint of the requirement of skilled manpower by the industry and suggest necessary steps.

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Animation to gaming: It's all serious biz for Toonz

The makes of toon movie, Return of Hanuman and famous tele-serial, Tenali Rama, Toonz Animation India Private Ltd, are planning to foray into gaming industry now. The firm is in the initial stages of talks to acquire a UK-based gaming firm.

While the company official refused to give any information, industry sources said that the deal will be worth well over $100 million (over Rs 400 crore).

The company will get access to global gaming market after acquisition of the firm. At present, the total gaming market in India is pegged at around $450 million.

Headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Toonz Animation will work on tapping and training local talent for developing new games. It will be using the existing facilities at Toonz Academy for training, while technology know-how will be provided by its partner.

Toonz Animation has achieved a turnover of about $4 million (around Rs16 crore) in the financial year concluded March 2008. According to executive director of the company, Ramaprasad S, they are aiming at increasing it to $5 million (around Rs20 crore) in the current financial year. He was talking to DNA Money on the sidelines of launch of Tonnz Academy in Ahmedabad.

This is the seventh training centre on the company in India. The company intends to take the total number of such academies in the country to 20 by the end of current financial year, with a total investment of over $15 million.

According to Ramaprasad S, the Ahmedabad centre will have an annual output of 100 students. He said that there were around 300 institutes in India but the quality of training being provided to them lacked consistency and quality. He put the dearth of good animators in India at 20,000 at present.

Ramaprasad also claimed that they had moved up the value chain in business as they were more involved in outsourcing work for foreign firms. "Now, we are co-producers with famous Hollywood companies like Walt Disney and paramount," he said.

Source : http://sify.com/

Pune new hub of animation, gaming industry

Chetan Deshmukh, who was the sole animation and special effects expert for Hollywood movies like Chicago and Shanghai Knights, recently shifted his base to Pune from the US. What attracted Deshmukh to Pune was the fact that the city was “emerging” as the new hub for animation and gaming industry. It’s not only Deshmukh who thinks on these lines. Anirights Infomedia of Reliance Group and Anibrain Digital Technologies have also chosen to house their expansion projects in Pune.

In fact, many of the gaming and animation studios have decided to either move from other cities to Pune or to set up their expansion projects here. After IT and auto, it is probably time for animation and gaming industry to grow many folds in Pune. What the IT industry achieved in 11 years in Pune — five billion dollar business per year — the animation and gaming industry is expected to achieve it in six years, say industry experts.

The latest addition to boost this boom is the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) which has started talking to some of the industrialists to encourage them to reserve some special economic zones (SEZ) for animation and gaming industry.

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