Hundreds more jobs are set to be created in the digital game industry here, as Galway secured its status as a European software ‘hub’ for multinational companies this week, following the announcement of 300 new jobs at Electronic Arts.

And other regions in the country are envious of Galway’s ability to attract some of the biggest companies around the world, according to a local TD.

The Chief Operating Officer of EA, Peter Moore, praised the Galway lifestyle, talent pool and infrastructure, saying the city was an obvious choice of location for their European Customer Experience Centre.

This was confirmed by the American Chamber of Commerce Western Region which said Galway is the ‘location of choice’.
On top of the 300 jobs, the IDA estimate this will lead to the creation of a further 210 ancillary jobs in the retail and hospitality sectors here.

The company announced 200 jobs for Galway in May 2010 – but the time it was launched in September 2011, a further 200 jobs were announced, and this week, another 300 were created, who will provide multilingual customer support.

And local Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh said he firmly believes Galway is now considered a ‘hub’ for digital media by multinationals.

“We’ve spoken about the ‘herd instinct’ before – these multinationals form a cluster together at a particular location because of the skilled workforce. We’ve done it in Galway with medical devices companies, the ICT sector (Information, Communication and Technology), and now we’re doing it with online gaming. We have EA in Parkmore and ZeniMax in Knocknacarra.

“There is a herd mentality and over the past decade, we have seen thousands of jobs created in Galway. There’s no reason why we can’t do the same with the gaming sector too.

“These companies talk to one another. I know the heads of two companies met in an executive lounge in Heathrow Airport – they got talking and one was on his way to Ireland to scout for a location. The other said there was only one place to go … Galway.

“It’s remarkable that less than a year ago, there were 400 jobs in EA, and now we have another 300. The head of EA said it himself; Galway is the place to be; skilled workforce, working environment, atmosphere, infrastructure, NUIG and GMIT. We have it all.

“Other regions are envious of Galway, there’s no doubt about that. We have the ability to attract the biggest players,” said Deputy Walsh.

See full story in this week's Connacht Tribune.