EA Creates 300 Jobs In EU "Experience Centre of Excellence"

Today Electronic Arts announced that it would be creating 300 jobs at a 'Customer Experience Centre of Excellence' in Galway, Ireland.

EA's Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, said that the publisher's European Customer Experience Centre "is the focal point of our strategy to serve gamers on a global basis.

"In today's fast-moving digital environment, we need to engage with our worldwide customer base on a 24/7 basis, across all of EA's games and services and in multiple languages," he added.

Whatever you think of the idea of EA having a Customer Experience Centre of Excellence it's unusual to see such a large number of people actually being employed in the industry - even if they won't be making games directly.

And 300 jobs in Ireland's crippled economy are not to be sneezed at, here's the press release for anyone who's interested.

(Note: taoiseach is Irish for prime minister while T.D. essentially translates to member of parliament, the IDA is the Industrial Development Authority, a government agency responsible for attracting foreign companies)

EA Creates 300 Jobs in Galway, Ireland for Its European Customer Experience Centre of Excellence

With Support From Irish Government, Existing Operation Expands With Global Player Support For A Broad Range Of EA Games

An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D. Officiates

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D. and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced the creation of 300 new jobs for EA's European Customer Experience Centre of Excellence in Galway, Ireland. Building on the foundation of its existing facility, EA will now provide multilingual international customer support and services for its major game titles.
This investment is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD said: "It is less than a year since I attended the opening of the EA facility in Galway, and I am delighted to announce today that EA has made the decision to invest further in Ireland by locating their strategically important Customer Experience Centre here. This decision is a real endorsement of Ireland's ability to meet the needs of leading multinational companies in the digital media space. I wish EA every success with this new Centre and offer the continued support of the Irish Government as the company continues to develop here."

Peter Moore, EA COO, said, "The EA European Customer Experience Centre is the focal point of our strategy to serve gamers on a global basis. In today's fast-moving digital environment, we need to engage with our worldwide customer base on a 24/7 basis, across all of EA's games and services and in multiple languages. Galway's mix of technology infrastructure and talent availability, combined with a pro-business environment, will help us expand on our existing foundation here. We're proud to be part of Ireland's growth into cutting edge digital industries."

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD said: "Digital games form a key part of the Government's plan for jobs and growth, and recently I announced the establishment of a new industry-led group to drive the creation of 2,500 extra jobs in the sector by 2014.

"Today's announcement that EA, a dynamic and world-leading company in this sector, is creating a further 300 jobs so soon after investing in Ireland for the first time is great news and shows very clearly the enormous potential of this high-growth industry. Through continued implementation of the Action Plan for Jobs, I am determined to ensure that we realise that potential and see further announcements like this over the coming years."

Barry O'Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland said: "The EA facility in Galway will take on responsibility for delivering high quality multilingual customer experience for a broad range of EA titles. EA is a key player amongst the cluster of global games and entertainment companies with operations in Ireland, and today's announcement clearly places Ireland at the centre of EA's international customer support strategy.

"The news today is in keeping with one of the main targets of IDA's strategy Horizon 2020; to increase further investment in the employment-intensive services sector. This follows on from a number of significant investments in this sector in recent months.''

EA inaugurated its Galway operation in September 2011. Recruitment is ongoing for a broad range of jobs and skills. For EA job opportunities in Galway, please visit: www.jobs.ea.com.