The Maharashtra government has unveiled an ambitious strategy to transform the state into a global powerhouse for animation, gaming and digital content creation, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announcing plans to generate around four lakh high-skilled jobs in the sector over the coming years.
While presenting the Maharashtra Budget 2026–27 in the state assembly, Fadnavis said the government intends to aggressively expand the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics ecosystem, positioning Mumbai and Pune as the core centres of a rapidly growing digital and creative economy.
The state government plans to facilitate the establishment of nearly 300 animation and gaming studios across Maharashtra as part of this long-term strategy. Officials believe the initiative could transform the twin-city corridor of Mumbai and Pune into a digital content and technology hub with an estimated economic potential of nearly $50 billion.
According to the government, both cities already possess strong foundations for such growth, including a large pool of technology professionals, established media and entertainment infrastructure and a rapidly expanding startup ecosystem. Pune in particular has emerged as one of India’s most preferred destinations for Global Capability Centres operated by multinational companies in the technology and creative industries.
The budget outlines plans to prioritise the creation of more than 250 new production and development studios, which are expected to work in areas such as animation films, gaming platforms, immersive media and digital storytelling. Industry experts say this expansion could significantly boost exports of digital content from India while creating large-scale employment for designers, programmers, animators and visual effects specialists.
The government also pointed to recent initiatives that have laid the groundwork for this expansion. Among them are the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit held in Mumbai and the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, an institution designed to train skilled professionals in emerging media and digital content technologies.
For Mumbai, which has traditionally been dominated by the film industry centred around Bollywood, the move signals a broader shift towards newer forms of entertainment such as animation, interactive gaming and virtual experiences. These sectors are increasingly seen as having higher global demand and stronger export potential compared with conventional film production.
Industry observers say the employment target of four lakh jobs represents one of the most aggressive sector-specific goals announced in a state budget in recent years. They caution, however, that the success of the plan will depend on how quickly studio infrastructure, training programmes and policy incentives are implemented to support the expanding creative technology ecosystem.
