EA Inaugurates New BioWare Facility In Ireland
dmcdonagh
2011-09-26
EA have officially announced the opening of BioWare Ireland. Located in Galway, Ireland, the new state-of-the-art facility will employ approximately 400 people and will serve as a global customer service center for players of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
Speaking at the grand opening of the new BioWare Ireland facility alongside the nation’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ray Muzyka, EA Senior Vice President and General Manager of the BioWare Label, said “MMO launches are complex, and we are determined to set a new standard for a high quality, stable, smooth launch for our fans. Our new BioWare facility and team in Galway is critical to ensuring we deliver on that goal. We’ve got a solid base of people here already in Galway . . . we’re looking for more. From Ireland . . . from the rest of Europe to support our German and French customers . . . from all over the world. We want you to join us here at BioWare Ireland.”
Dr. Greg Zeschuk, EA Vice President and General Manager of the BioWare MMO Business Unit, added “the commitment to players never stops, from the day we ship, the BioWare team is responsible for 24/7 support of the game and every player subscribed to it.”
Explaining the decision to locate the facility in Galway, Dr. Muzyka noted that Ireland can provide “a steady supply of well-educated, well-trained people,” and noted that the Irish government “provides a tax and regulatory structure that will allow us to build and grow in the future.” While Dr. Zeschuk pointed out that Galway has a “strong local mix of technology infrastructure and recruitment opportunities” that make it uniquely suited for BioWare and EA.
Commenting on the announcement, An Taoiseach Mr. Enda Kenny TD, said, “I very much welcome EA and BioWare’s decision to locate its customer service center here in Galway and the additional 200 jobs announced today. The Programme for Government highlights the digital game industry as a particular priority area for growth and the presence here of EA, one of the world's leading interactive games companies, will help enhance our status as a center for the digital media sector.”
The new Galway location is BioWare’s first outside of North America. In addition to the BioWare facility in Galway, EA has a presence in Dublin, Ireland following its recent acquisition of PopCap and BioWare will continue to maintain its studio locations in Fairfax, Va., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Tx. and Edmonton, Montreal.
