Lightstorm Vision Acquires Outsyders to Accelerate 3D Content Creation at Scale

Outsyders' production-proven AI-driven pipeline—powering noted projects for Disney, IMAX, Samsung, and Google—joins Lightstorm Vision to bring high-quality 3D to new productions and existing content libraries at scale

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Outsyders, the creative-tech collective whose AI-driven 3D pipeline has emerged as the most production-proven in the industry, has been acquired by Lightstorm Vision, the world's leading developer of integrated 3D production technology. The acquisition unites Outsyders' intelligent 3D pipeline with Lightstorm Vision's native capture and production capabilities, creating the industry's first end-to-end solution for producing world-class 3D content across both new productions and existing content libraries.

Founded by Paul Becker, Jared Sandrew, and Chris Harvey and launched in April 2024, Outsyders enables cinematic-quality stereoscopic post production with the throughput required for high-volume content creation. Leveraging the group’s collective leadership in theatrical 3D and visual effects, Outsyders delivered: the IMAX 3D version of Blue Angels; the 3D reimagining of Disney's Lilo & Stitch (with most of the 2D classic brought to 3D in just eight weeks); Doug Liman's 8K, high-frame-rate stereoscopic film, Asteroid, produced for Samsung and Google; Tron: Ares, Moana, and others. The company currently has more than five feature films in progress. Outsyders recently collaborated with Lightstorm Vision on Paramount’s Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), achieving visual consistency between converted and native stereoscopic footage.

At the core of the acquisition is Outsyders' stereoscopic processing platform, built to deliver efficient production at scale without compromising quality. Combining real and synthetic data, the platform continuously improves model accuracy while enabling small, highly skilled teams to produce premium stereoscopic content in a fraction of the time and at significantly lower cost than traditional conversion methods. That capability now finds its fullest expression within Lightstorm Vision's integrated platform.

Lightstorm Vision is positioning itself as the one-stop shop for 3D content creation, bringing together precision capture, stereoscopic post production, and AI-driven processing in a fully integrated production system. By streamlining the entire 3D workflow, the company is meeting growing demand for professional-grade 3D while making high-quality stereoscopic content as accessible as 2D. That mission extends beyond technology itself. Through training, tools, and production infrastructure, Lightstorm Vision is equipping creators across cinema, broadcast, and streaming to produce content in 3D. The addition of Outsyders significantly strengthens that integrated system.

For James Cameron, founder of Lightstorm Vision, the addition of Outsyders merges two complementary approaches to premium stereoscopic 3D. “At Lightstorm we’ve been working with Paul Becker and his team for almost two years, and really enjoyed the collaboration. As everyone knows, I’ve got a very exacting eye for 3D, and I can confidently say that their work and their AI tools are world class. Together we will provide end-to-end solutions for productions and for studios, as we merge the worlds of conversion and native photographic 3D.”

For Paul Becker, CEO and Co-Founder of Outsyders, the acquisition is as much about shared lineage as it is about technology. "We've always shared Jim's vision for stereo," said Becker. "Our work with Jim confirmed that our combined technologies were the most logical and effective step for the format. We are excited to join and bolster Lightstorm Vision's mission.”

Turnkey 3D: The Integrated Approach

Lightstorm Vision unites native stereoscopic capture, AI-driven processing, and stereoscopic post production into a single integrated pipeline, a turnkey 3D solution built to serve productions from any starting point. Outsyders' intelligent platform operates in direct coordination with Lightstorm Vision's capture and processing infrastructure, drawing on metadata and pipeline context that standalone workflows cannot access. That integrated approach, demonstrated on Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), reduces the time, cost, and complexity of traditional 3D production while enabling creators to produce high-quality stereoscopic content at scale.

A Platform That Improves with Every Production

Every production captured with Lightstorm Vision's native stereoscopic camera systems generates high-quality ground truth data that continuously improves Outsyders' AI models. As the platform is used across more productions, its processing becomes increasingly accurate, efficient, and capable. This creates a compounding advantage built into the production workflow itself, one that standalone conversion tools cannot easily replicate.

Unlocking Existing Content Libraries at Scale

The same AI capabilities that power new productions also unlock one of the industry's largest untapped opportunities: transforming existing 2D libraries into premium stereoscopic content. By dramatically reducing the time, cost, and complexity of high-quality conversion, the combined platform enables studios, broadcasters, and streaming platforms to expand their 3D catalogs economically.

A new generation of stereoscopic-native Meta VR devices is creating a mass audience for premium 3D content, bringing immersive viewing experiences to consumers at scale. Lightstorm Vision's comprehensive, multi-year partnership with Meta anchors that opportunity. The addition of Outsyders advances commitments made at the outset of that partnership: improving creators' ability to produce high-quality stereoscopic content through advanced tooling, and lowering the cost of producing it. Lightstorm Vision's integrated system is built to meet that demand across both new productions and existing content libraries.

About Outsyders

Founded by Paul Becker, Jared Sandrew, and Chris Harvey, Outsyders is a creative-tech collective specializing in artist-centric AI-powered stereoscopic post production and next-generation platform experiences. Its founder team previously held leadership roles at DNEG and Unity, stereo supervisor roles at Disney, and creative director roles at ILM. They have collaborated with award-winning filmmakers such as Kathryn Bigelow, Neill and Sam Esmail. The team's credits span theatrical 3D and immersive experiences including Prehistoric Planet Immersive, Ready Player One, Leave the World Behind, and Zero Dark Thirty. Recent Outsyders productions include the IMAX 3D version of Blue Angels, Disney's Lilo & Stitch, Doug Liman’s Asteroid, Tron: Ares, and Moana.

About Lightstorm Vision

Lightstorm Vision, founded by James Cameron in 2024, is the world's leading developer of integrated 3D production technology, advancing best-in-class solutions for stereoscopic capture, imaging, and processing. Building on more than 25 years of award-winning stereoscopic innovation, the company's proprietary technologies have supported more than 80 films and documentaries generating over $15 billion in worldwide box office, and more than 600 live sports broadcasts. Lightstorm Vision's leadership team draws on a legacy of engineering recognized with multiple Technology & Engineering and Sports Emmy® Awards, including pioneering achievements in live stereoscopic broadcasting, and has contributed to productions honored with Academy Awards® for cinematography and visual effects.