Hasta La Motion!

Powered by Aptech, India’s premier educator in high-end 3D animation and visual effects, Arena Animation has recently launched a new franchise in Mehdipatnam. With this, the new centre becomes the sixth centre in Hyderabad, Telangana.

To cater to the growing need of skilled human resources in the industry, Arena Animation, which has been a big name in animation and VFX training across the country, covers a variety of programmes like advanced concepts in animation, visual effects, gaming, and multimedia from the leading experts of the industry.

The centre was formally inaugurated by Secretary of Information Technology (IT) Department of the Telangana Government principal secretary Jayesh Ranjan. He congratulated Arena Animation and Madhav (Mike) Reddy for the new centre and said, “Telangana is a state that heavily advocates higher education to all. The state has also been working on adapting its policy on animation, visual effects, and comics sector (AVGC) to boost the industry in the state and can provide great impetus to the development of the state. The Government of Telangana is committed to providing an ecosystem for the AVGC Sector, and trained human resources in the media and entertainment industry is the need of the hour.”

Some of the career courses include AD3D EDGE, ADMD, VFX Plus, Max Pro, and Maya Pro which will be handled by the most experienced trainers in real time environment. The centre will also offer next-gen training programs in Trinity 3D, VFX Film making and Gaming Courses in Game Art, Game Design and Game Development.

Commenting on the inauguration, Aptech assistant vice president Shajan Samuel added, “With over 23 years of experience, Arena Animation is focused on facilitating the youth with the right skills required for the future industries. We have trained over four lakh students globally since our inception and are extremely elated to proclaim that we are committed to empowering the youth of India in their journey to fulfill aspirations. Setting up a world-class animation institute in Mehdipatnam at this point is aligned with the cause of the government.”

The animation sector in India has been growing at a steady pace over the past few years and reached Rs 17 billion in 2017, registering a growth of 13 percent over 2016. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11 percent till 2020.

According to a recent FICCI report, the Indian animation and VFX industry is growing more than 20 percent and the growth of the sector is expected to get a boost in the coming years.

Madhav (Mike) Reddy

Being the proud Business partner of Arena Animation Mehdipatnam, Reddy mentioned, “With Arena Ameerpet being the first, this is my second franchise of Arena Animation. I am pleased with the support that we are getting from Aptech to deliver the courses most efficiently. As envisioned, this centre is well equipped with the state of art facilities, strong placement support, and is committed to providing contemporary quality education to the students. It will offer the full range of Arena courses and focus on career programs. The students not only get exposure to the new age equipment used in industries but also to implement technical knowledge in practicality.”

Besides being running multiple successful businesses in different sectors, Reddy is also the general secretary of Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association (TVAGA). He is the most active member in the association and contributed with his brilliant ideas and suggestions for building a healthy AVCG ecosystem in Telangana state.

The Mehdipatnam Franchise of Arena is owned by him, who’s also the founder of Rotomaker India and has special privileges of getting support from real-time production team and guaranteed placements in Rotomaker production.

Rotomaker is one of the top Visual Effects outsourcing companies in India that bears a reputation for working on more than 2000 VFX projects from which the majority of them being blockbuster Hollywood movies.

The post Arena Animation opens its new franchise In Mehdipatnam; 6th Centre in Telangana appeared first on AnimationXpress.

The John Wick star will be playing the role of Johnny Silverhand in the game. Reeves has lent the voice and motion capture for his CyberPunk 2077 role.

Keanu Reeves

“A while back CD Project Red approached me and asked me to be a part of their new project CyberPunk 2077. They were going on and on about how they’d create this vast open world with a branching storyline… how you’d be able to customise your character through in-game choices and it’s not something I knew before but I was excited. I am always drawn to a fascinating story,” he said whilst on the stage.

The game is set in futuristic Night City. Users play an outlaw who is looking for a chip which has an elixir of life. Players can modulate their character’s cyberwar and fashion among other things.

CyberPunk 2077 is slated for a release on 16 April 2020. The game will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC platforms.

The post ‘Cyber Punk 2077’ features Keanu Reeves appeared first on AnimationXpress.

9 Story Distribution International has announced to have secured multiple international sales for Sutikki and Foundling Bird’s landmark preschool series Moon and Me from creator Andrew Davenport (co-creator Teletubbies, creator In the Night Garden).

The popular series was enjoying early success on CBeebies in the U.K. and premiered on Universal Kids in the U.S. on 20 May, Monday. New licenses include ABC (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), NPO Zappelin (Netherlands), RTE (Ireland), HOP! (Israel), NRK (Norway), Studio Canal (Pan European) and YLE (Finland).

Created by Andrew Davenport and produced by Davenport’s Foundling Bird and Sutikki, Moon and Me is inspired by well-loved tales of toys that come to life when nobody’s looking. The series breaks new ground in its technical and visual ambition, and combines the latest production methods to bring the colorful world of Moon and Me to life. With friendship at its heart, Moon and Me explores how the characters demonstrate kindness, empathy and consideration to each other.

More than 40 consumer product licensees have already been secured by Sutikki, including Hasbro (global master toy) and Scholastic (global master publishing) with product rolling out in the UK later this summer. 9 Story Distribution International will be overseeing global distribution of the series (excluding the US, UK and China), while 9 Story Brands manages global merchandising rights (excluding the UK and China).

Moon and Me (50 x 22’) made its global television premiere on BBC’s CBeebies in the UK in early February 2019 and has just debuted in the U.S. on Universal Kids, part of NBCUniversal’s Entertainment and Lifestyle group. In the UK, the series has been a top performer on CBeebies since its launch.

The post 9 Story Distribution secures multiple international sales for hit U.K. preschool series ‘Moon and Me’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.

After a grand success of the first AVCG Cricket tournament in 2018, TVAGA has announced the second season of the same competition with a new name and more teams participating than last year.

Now to be called as India Joy Cricket Championship (IJCC) planned as a concurrent event for Telangana State’s Flagship event INDIAJOY FESTIVAL 2019 which is going to happen between 18 to 24 November 2019.

IJCC is an exclusive cricket tournament organised among AVCG production companies and academies separately. As per the organisers, The competition is a much-needed break for members of TVAGA community from the monotony they deal with due to working extended hours and chasing project deadlines. This year more than 70 teams from Animation, Gaming, VFX and Film production houses and academies are going to battle for the IJCC cups. In 2018 championship, Rotomaker won the cup in production category, and DQ Academy won in Academies.

At the onset of the tournament from 29th June, IJCC 2019 was formally inaugurated by Telangana State IT department principal secretary Jayesh Ranjan. Expressing his view on this activity, he said, “Sports play a vital role in creating professional and personal integrity. It not only develops physical activeness but also impart perseverance and collaboration among the community. IJCC makes a lot of strategic sense for strengthening the industry by uniting various AVCG segments and profiles through this exciting competitive environment”.

TVAGA is one of the most active non-profit association with more than 250 AVCG companies operating from Telangana state. The association is led by the leaders of various verticals of the industry. With the help of strong support from the Government of Telangana, the association has been successfully organising Flagship B2B, B2C, and recreational events to support and build a healthy ecosystem in Animation, VFX and Gaming industry.

During the Inauguration, TVAGA general secretary Madhav (Mike) Reddy added, “Despite being a debut event, we received outstanding participation from all companies in Hyderabad last year. It’s good to see that the companies are preparing their teams by allowing the players to practice during the working hours. IJCC has become a prestigious cup that every company wants to have in its display. I appreciate all TVAGA companies, artists and students for their excellent support to organise this event smooth and successful”.

Madhav Reddy

Companies that will be playing in Production Category are- Digital Domain, DNEG, Makuta, Saradhi Studios, Rotomaker, FireFly, Thunder Studios, Gamitronics, Green Gold Animation, Xcube Labs, Matrix, Prasad EFX, Discrete Arts, Pixelloid, Advita, Annapurna Studios, 24 Frames, Symbiosis, Bilva, Golive, Hollywood VFX, Lorven, Level 2, Pixel Film, Play4Deal and Maya Digitals.

Companies that will be playing in Academics Category Rotomaker include Academy Ameerpet, ECIL and Dilsukhnagar, MAAC Dilsukhnagar, DigiQuest, CG Trix, Blue Frames, Creative Multimedia, Arena Dilsukhnagar, Arena Ameerpet, Reliance Education, ICAT, DQ Academy, Image, IACG, Annapurna Academy, Creative Multimedia, Backstage Pass and Sahasra Academy.

The post TVAGA to organise Indiajoy Cricket Championship exclusively for AVCG companies and academies appeared first on AnimationXpress.

It’s time for Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019 one of the largest video game trade shows in the world. E3 runs from 11 to 13 June in Los Angeles, and lots of video game announcements are on the agenda. Here’s what you can expect. Hundreds of electronics manufacturers, game developers, and game publishers will descend upon Los Angeles to show off what’s coming down the pipe in the coming year.

E3 2019 will bring many of the biggest companies in gaming under one roof for a week of exciting reveals and surprise announcements. Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Square Enix, and many more will bring all of their upcoming titles, including some we haven’t even seen yet, to the public. Here are our few picks:
 
Halo Infinite Gameplay Reveal
Part of Microsoft’s plans at E3 this year will undoubtedly involve Halo Infinite, the next chapter in Xbox’s flagship series. While the game was announced in 2018 with a trailer showcasing the new Slipspace engine, the reveal didn’t feature any actual in-game footage. It’s likely that the Xbox conference will close with a lengthy look at the new Halo, even if the game isn’t set for a 2019 release.

Nintendo might reveal a new version of the Switch
Nintendo might tease its hinted-at slightly-more-portable or slightly-more-powerful Nintendo Switch versions, but neither will fully replace the current Switch with an entirely new generation. That’s a good thing since the wildly successful Switch is barely three years old. A Nintendo Switch Lite seems very likely considering the company’s history with slimmed-down handheld system revisions, but it’s doubtful Nintendo will reveal it at E3.

Nintendo Switch Lite might launch for summer
Nintendo has saved its big announcements for its streamed Nintendo Direct broadcasts, where it can keep a tighter grip on what information comes out and when. We’ll probably see a Nintenndo Switch Lite later this summer, and a slightly more powerful Nintendo Switch Plus (or possibly a New Nintendo Switch, because Nintendo likes even more confusing names than Microsoft) for this holiday season or next year.

Sony will not show up
This year the whole attraction of press conference on console gaming will be more focused on Microsoft Xbox as Sony pulled themselves from E3 2019 and Nintendo Directs are pre-recorded one. That means that Xbox will be one of only two major consoles at the show, and the only one giving a major press conference and surprises.

 Microsoft might bring Xbox Game Pass to PC

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed in late 2018 that the company planned to bring Xbox Game Pass to PC at some point in the future. While we haven’t seen any actual movement on that front, there’s no reason to doubt that PC will get the excellent on-demand games service. It makes a lot of sense considering that Xbox’s Play Anywhere program already lets users play Xbox exclusives on both Xbox One and PC with the purchase of a single copy of the game.

Microsoft aims to expand PC portfolio

Then there’s the fact that Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a major release for Xbox One, is finally being ported to PC, further evidence of Microsoft’s commitment to expanding its PC portfolio. While Halo: MCC is coming to Steam at the moment, it is expected to be a major inclusion in Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Games on Marvel’s Avengers might turn into reality
Marvel’s Avengers is going to be a huge one from RPG stalwarts Square Enix. We’ve heard very little about the eagerly awaited title. A since-removed event synopsis described the Marvel game as, “an epic action-adventure that combines cinematic storytelling with continuous single-player and co-operative gameplay.” The game will be sharing a stage with the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake.

Google might solve players’ queries on Stadia
Google’s Stadia gaming platform is still a bit of a puzzle. Google says it will let you play AAA games on different types of screens without a console, making it a streaming system like PlayStation Now, GeForce Now, or the ironically quite dead OnLive. So far we’ve seen demos of the concept, and Google’s Stadia controller, which looks painfully similar to the (also now-dead) Ouya controller. Hopefully Stadia’s presence at E3 will assuage our concerns if we can get more hands-on time with the platform.

As for Ubisoft, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Rainbow Six Siege and Tom Clancy’s The Division are all on tap. Doom Eternal was announced at last year’s E3 with a 2019 release window. This highly anticipated Doom sequel will likely fill the holiday spot for the publisher. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is the big title for Bethesda this year, plus Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 updates. Since E3 begins tomorrow will keep you posted with all the happenings.

The post Here’s what you can expect from E3 2019 appeared first on AnimationXpress.