Electronic Arts announced the launch of BioWare Ireland, a new customer service center located in Galway, Ireland. The new facility will employ about 400 employees and will focus on providing customer service to players of the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare's first MMO will be released on December 20th in North America and December 22nd in Europe.
Speaking at the grand opening of the new BioWare Ireland facility alongside the 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.”
Muzyka said they chose Ireland for its service center because the country can provide “a steady supply of well-educated, well-trained people,” and noted that the Irish government “provided a tax and regulatory structure that allowed us to build and grow in the future.”
The new Galway location is BioWare’s affiliated studio first outside of North America. In addition to the BioWare facility in Galway, EA has a presence in Dublin, Ireland after buying PopCap.
You can check out a video of the press conference at EA.com.
