Outsyders

Media Tech · AI · Film/VFX

Acquisition

James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision acquires AI 3D studio Outsyders

The deal folds a fast, cheap 2D-to-3D conversion pipeline into native stereoscopic capture, aiming to make library titles as easy to release in 3D as in 2D.

• Lightstorm Vision, the stereoscopic production tech company founded by James Cameron, has acquired Outsyders, an AI-driven 3D post-production studio; terms were not disclosed.
• Outsyders, launched in April 2024 by Paul Becker (CEO), Jared Sandrew and Chris Harvey, built an AI stereoscopic pipeline that converted most of Disney's 2D 'Lilo & Stitch' to 3D in eight weeks.
• The platform blends real and synthetic training data to keep improving model accuracy, letting small teams produce premium stereoscopic content faster and at far lower cost than traditional conversion.
• The two companies had already collaborated for nearly two years, most recently on Paramount's 'Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D),' which Cameron co-directed.
• This is Lightstorm's second 3D acquisition of 2026, following its purchase of 3D camera maker Stereotec, and builds on a 2024 partnership with Meta to supply stereoscopic content for Quest headsets.
• Lightstorm says the combined platform will target converting existing film and TV libraries into 3D at scale, calling it one of the industry's largest untapped opportunities.
• By combining native capture with AI conversion into a single pipeline, the deal reflects a broader industry bet that AI can make premium 3D affordable enough to revive it beyond tentpole releases.