BioWare Gets Ireland Customer Service Office

BioWare and parent publisher Electronic Arts will open a new 200-employee customer service center in Galway, Ireland that will support BioWare's online games starting next year, the companies announced today. The 200 staff figure is pegged as the initial studio size when it opens. Although it won't be up and running until 2011, the group is already advertising positions on BioWare's official site, mainly for customer service managers and human resources professionals who will help drive the studio's hiring operations. EA's plans are partially supported financially by Ireland's Industrial Development Agency, a government-supported group that attracts and aids foreign investment in Ireland. In a statement, Taoiseach (prime minister) Brian Cowen said, "EA is the global leader in interactive entertainment and a very important addition to the thriving games industry in Ireland." BioWare's site says the studio will be "working to support BioWare’s online games." The company is currently developing its first MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is not expected to launch until after March 2011. Today, EA said the game represents its biggest development investment ever.