Event Coverage
Animation industry needs to create IP
MUMBAI: The Indian gaming and animation industry has a long road to cover before it matures.
Creating a sustainable IP in India is not easy due to a lack of understanding and value for Intellectual Property rights. Manpower for mobile gaming technology is another issue that needs to be sorted out, said Synqya Games CEO Abhijit Jayapal.
India had traditionally been an outsourcing country, but this was now changing. The need was to find stories palatable to the rest of the world just as Disney and Pixar were doing, Krayon Pictures co-founder and CEO Nishith Takia said
Benjamin Grubbs, Regional Director of Turner Interactive Entertainment Network (Asia Pacific), said growth opportunities were growing in south Asia for gaming and animation, but the need was to come up with good stories.
A positive development has been the joining of hands by broadcasters and producers for making animation films.
According to Graphiti Multimedia COO Munjal Shroff, the time has arrived for animation filmmakers to move away from tales from mythology if they are to sell abroad.
Answering a question later, he said parental control and involvement of child psychologists was important as far as violent animation films were concerned.
Ranj Serious Games (the Netherlands) Managing Partner Michael Bas said games could be used for teaching, as it had been proved by some award-winning games introduced by his company. But new ways had to be found for distribution.
Children’s Film Society, India, CEO Sushovan Banerjee said it was unfortunate that for far too long, children had been seeing software not meant for them. The CFSI had, therefore, taken some children’s films to rural areas where these had been liked very much.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
