diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_atomic.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_atomic.c
index 4191a8333fc4..e3029c8f02e5 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_atomic.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_atomic.c
@@ -941,11 +941,25 @@ int drm_atomic_private_obj_init(struct drm_device *dev,
 	drm_modeset_lock_init(&obj->lock);
 
 	obj->dev = dev;
-	obj->state = state;
 	obj->funcs = funcs;
 	list_add_tail(&obj->head, &dev->mode_config.privobj_list);
 
-	state->obj = obj;
+	/*
+	 * Not all users of drm_atomic_private_obj_init have been
+	 * converted to using &drm_private_obj_funcs.atomic_create_state yet.
+	 * For the time being, let's only call reset if the passed state is
+	 * NULL. Otherwise, we will fallback to the previous behaviour.
+	 */
+	if (!state) {
+		state = obj->funcs->atomic_create_state(obj);
+		if (IS_ERR(state))
+			return PTR_ERR(state);
+
+		obj->state = state;
+	} else {
+		obj->state = state;
+		state->obj = obj;
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/include/drm/drm_atomic.h b/include/drm/drm_atomic.h
index 712f5fb977bf..0b1b32bcd2bd 100644
--- a/include/drm/drm_atomic.h
+++ b/include/drm/drm_atomic.h
@@ -261,6 +261,19 @@ struct drm_private_state;
  * drm_atomic_get_private_obj_state().
  */
 struct drm_private_state_funcs {
+	/**
+	 * @atomic_create_state:
+	 *
+	 * Allocates a pristine, initialized, state for the private
+	 * object and returns it.
+	 *
+	 * RETURNS:
+	 *
+	 * A new, pristine, private state instance or an error pointer
+	 * on failure.
+	 */
+	struct drm_private_state *(*atomic_create_state)(struct drm_private_obj *obj);
+
 	/**
 	 * @atomic_duplicate_state:
 	 *