Just to make my industry survey even more out of date it was announced this week that EA is to establish a European office in Galway and the company will create 200 jobs.
Full press release below but more importantly for recruitment opportunities visit : www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs
Aphra
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EA TO OPEN CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER IN GALWAY, IRELAND
26/05/10
Geneva, Switzerland, May 26, 2010 — Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced plans to open a European customer service and operations center for its BioWare™ studio, to be based in Galway, Ireland. The new facility will provide BioWare with greater proximity to European players. This investment is being supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
The new Irish location for BioWare will help us get closer to our fans in Europe. Galway gives us the right mix of solid technology infrastructure and international recruitment opportunities as we continue to focus on bringing the highest quality gaming experiences to market.
Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President, EA and Group General Manager, BioWare.
Welcoming today’s announcement, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD said, “EA is the global leader in interactive entertainment and a very important addition to the thriving games industry in Ireland.”
“The new Irish location for BioWare will help us get closer to our fans in Europe,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President, EA and Group General Manager, BioWare. “Galway gives us the right mix of solid technology infrastructure and international recruitment opportunities as we continue to focus on bringing the highest quality gaming experiences to market.”
Barry O’Leary CEO of IDA Ireland said, “EA joins a vibrant digital media sector and is a key endorsement of the skills and expertise available in Ireland for this sector.”
EA will maintain its existing BioWare studio locations in Edmonton, Montreal, Fairfax, Virginia and Austin, Texas. The new location in Galway is expected to be up and running in 2011, starting with roughly 200 staff.
The new Irish company is a wholly owned EA subsidiary. EA has existing European game teams based in Guildford, UK, Stockholm, Sweden, Ingelheim, Germany, Bucharest, Romania and Madrid, Spain.