With Support From Irish Government, BioWare Creates 200 New Jobs
An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D. Officiates Opening Day
GALWAY, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
BioWare™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today
announced the opening of a state-of-the-art customer service center in
Galway, Ireland. The new facility, BioWare's first outside of North
America, will provide 24/7 support for Star Wars™: The Old
Republic™, the award-winning story-driven massively
multiplayer online game from BioWare and LucasArts. BioWare Ireland is
recruiting another 200 jobs in preparation for one of the biggest game
launches of the year. Star Wars: The Old Republic will be
released in North America on December 20, 2011 and in Europe on December
22, 2011.
"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," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, EA Senior Vice President and General Manager
of the BioWare Label.
Added Dr. Greg Zeschuk, EA Vice President and General Manager of the
BioWare MMO Business Unit, "It's exciting to bring the Galway community
into the BioWare family in support of this high-priority launch. This
project wouldn't have been possible without the strong support from the
Irish government and the strong local mix of technology infrastructure
and recruitment opportunities."
Commenting on the announcement, Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, said, "I very
much welcome EA and BioWare's decision to locate its customer service
centre 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 centre for the digital media sector."
Welcoming the announcement, IDA Ireland CEO Barry O'Leary, said, "The
scale of EA's customer service centre in Galway is a clear endorsement
of the skills base in the West of Ireland."
In addition to the BioWare facility in Galway, EA has a presence in
Dublin, Ireland following its recent acquisition of PopCap. BioWare will
continue to maintain its studio locations in Edmonton, Montreal, Fairfax
(Virginia), Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin (Texas).
For recruitment opportunities in Galway, please visit: www.bioware.com/careers.
For more information about Star Wars: The Old Republic, pre-order
details and special editions, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/preorder.
About Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic has been lauded for breaking new
ground in the genre by building on traditional MMO gameplay pillars of
combat, exploration and character progression, and adding a fourth
pillar to the genre — story. Star Wars: The Old Republic is set
thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader, when the galaxy is in
the midst of a cold war. Players will be asked to join forces with
either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight
iconic Star Wars characters: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular,
Smuggler, Trooper, Bounty Hunter, Imperial Agent, Sith Inquisitor and
Sith Warrior. Every player's story will unfold based on meaningful
choices made throughout the game, enabling them to become the hero of
their own personal Star Wars saga. Along their journey, players
will encounter companion characters with which players can build or
break meaningful relationships as they fight at your side. Throughout
their adventures, players will be immersed in a vibrant galaxy of
planets, engage in heroic battles and experience visceral Star Wars
combat.
For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com,
follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/swtoror
"Like" Star Wars: The Old Republic on Facebook at http://facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic.
About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment
companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held,
fully-integrated entertainment company. In addition to its
motion-picture and television production operations, the company's
global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound,
serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for
visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer
and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas
Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for
Lucasfilm's entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation, which is
currently producing content for film and television, including Star
Wars: The Clone Wars, a CG-animated half-hour television series; and
Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's
entertainment properties and businesses. Additionally, Lucasfilm
Singapore produces digital animated content for film and television, as
well as visual effects for feature films and multi-platform games.
Lucasfilm's motion-picture productions include three of the 20 biggest
box-office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and more than 60
Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilm's television projects have won 12
Emmy Awards. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.
LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and
publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game
console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco,
Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com,
LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive
element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment
company.
About BioWare
The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality
multiplatform role-playing, MMO and strategy games, focused on
emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable characters and
vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the
world's most critically acclaimed titles and franchises, including Baldur's
Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of
the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon
Age™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading
global interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the
BioWare Label, alongside EA Games, EA Sports and EA Play. BioWare
currently operates in seven locations across the world, including
Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas),
Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco (California), Los Angeles (California)
and Galway (Ireland).
For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com,
or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed.
To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare
community, go to http://social.bioware.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both
packaged goods products and online services delivered through
Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and
tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in
75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for
critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The
Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass
Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks of EA
International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. The Sims and Need for Speed
are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the
property of their respective owners and used with permission.
LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and related
properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries
of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2011 Lucasfilm Entertainment
Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. BioWare, Mass
Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks of EA International
(Studio and Publishing) Ltd. EA SPORTS, EA, The Sims and Need for Speed
are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the
property of their respective owners and used with permission.
EA Corporate Communications
Tiffany Steckler, +44 7795 224 191
tsteckler@europe.ea.com
or
IDA
Ireland
Thomas McEvoy
Thomas.McEvoy@ida.ie
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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