Film Production
Warner Bros leads $24 million investment into Machinima online video network
MUMBAI: Warner Bros Entertainment has upped its investment in Machinima, leading a $24 million round of financing for the online video network.
Machinima, the first global Many2Many programming service is focused on fandom and gamer culture.
Other previous investors in Machinima, including Redpoint Ventures, MK Capital, Coffin Capital alongside Machinima chairman Allen DeBevoise.
The investment builds on a year-long transformation at Machinima, during which monthly viewership is up over 70 per cent and US unique viewers have tripled. Overall, Machinima boasts a massive audience of more than 430 million subscribers worldwide, 170 million monthly unique viewers and 3.7 billion monthly video views.
“In 2014, Machinima regained our leadership position in the global digital video marketplace by focusing on our Talent Network and transforming our brand into one that is reflective of our content, our audience and our community of creators. This additional funding will enable Machinima to accelerate our growth through increased investments in content and technology that better serves our audiences, advertisers, creators and distributors,” said Machinima CEO Chad Gutstein.
“Under Chad’s leadership, Machinima continues to grow as a key entertainment destination for millennials. With its enormous fan base, Machinima is an important exhibition partner, providing content creators, including Warner Bros., multiple platforms for distributing and monetizing digital content and programming brands,” said Warner Bros. Television Group president, business and strategy Craig Hunegs.
Warner Bros.’ participation in this funding continues the longstanding relationship between the two companies, which has resulted in live-action web series including two seasons of “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.” Later this year, Machinima will release “Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles,” an animated limited series from DC Comics and Blue Ribbon Content, and executive produced by Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett.
In 2014, the company revamped its executive team first with the hiring of former Ovation TV COO Chad Gutstein as CEO. Throughout the year, Gutstein unveiled key appointments to all areas of Machinima’s business, including most recently chief content officer Daniel Tibbets.
The new team capped off 2014 by executing a comprehensive brand repositioning of the company. Placing a renewed focus on Machinima’s vast and gifted talent network, and original programming capabilities, the rebrand featured a new tagline “Heroes Rise” along with a completely revamped talent program, which was supported by the launch of Console, a state-of-the-art technology platform. Additionally, the Machinima.com website was overhauled into a valuable resource for creators and advertisers and the Machinima Legion viewer panel was unveiled.
With more than 30 million monthly unique viewers, Machinima currently ranks ninth in total US audience for Online Video Entertainment Properties and fourth for US males 18-49. The company is making a concerted effort to supplement its explosive YouTube presence with additional distribution platforms. Recently, Machinima announced distribution partnerships with Samsung and Vessel.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
