Category Archives: Ireland

EA has lad-off an undisclosed number of number staff members at its customer service center in Galway, reports Ireland’s The Journal. When asked for a statement on the matter, the firm provided the trade outlet with the same response given to the lay-offs which occurred earlier in the week in Montreal. In September of last year, EA announced it would add 300 new jobs to the 200 already present at its Galway offices, through an IDA Ireland-supported expansion. While EA would not comment on the number affected, the trade journal understands the number of cuts equate to less than 20 positions. Thanks, Sorvin.

Deloitte Ireland has been appointed as the receiver of HMV Ireland, meaning 300 jobs are at risk in the sector. Earlier today, HMV stores in the country were closed temporarily without an explanation, and will remain closed until Deloitte Ireland “assesses the viability of the company,” reports Eurogamer. The firm said it will be searching to find a buyer for the business. The site notes that HMV in Ireland is a separate entity to the UK business, which wasn’t thought to be going into administration with the rest of HMV as of yesterday.

Peter Hepworth, Activision’s UK and Ireland MD, has left the firm to “pursue new career opportunities.” In the interim, the business in the region will be overseen by Andrew Brown, VP of sales excellence, who was previously managing director for the area before Hepworth took over. Brown will take on the added MD responsibilities until another person has been found to fill the position. Activision said in a statement to MCV it plans to continue working with Hepworth “on UKIE initiatives and would like to thank him for his many years of service.”

EA plans to add 300 new positions within its customer service center in Galway, Ireland, according to COO Peter Moore.

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Hey you, resident of Great Britain and in the market for a new PlayStation 3; have I got news for you. The limited edition red, silver and white models of the not-so-big black box are now available in your territory. Unlike certain other regions I could name, the UK market seems to be offering the new colours at the same price as a regular Slim console, meaning you’re likely to find the 320GB consoles in a bundle with one controller and maybe a game for around £250. Check with your retailer.

Thanks, Joystiq.

Former Atari, EA, Jagex, and PopCap employees have formed a new company in Dublin called Digit Game Studios, which will be the largest independent developer in Ireland. The firm plans to focus on creating and publishing original IP on multiple platforms. “We chose Dublin because of the ability to access best in class talent, the great support from Enterprise Ireland and the general buzz around the cities start-up scene,” said Digit CEO Richard Barnwell. “We hope to hire locally and to attract some top class people from around the games world.” Need a job? Click here to apply. Thanks, Develop.

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed has said the firm is considering moving its headquarters from Finland to Dublin in order to take advantage of Ireland’s 12.5% tax rate. Speaking with the Irish Times, Hed said the tax rate is a plus in the country’s favor, as Finland’s current rate is 24%. Currently, the firm employs a staff of 400 in Finland, and Hed said an Irish studio could also end up manufacturing Angry Birds, and other titles the firm is working on. and other new games they have created. “We are considering [Ireland,] said Hed. “It is something that we need to look at. For now we have stayed in Finland. But it is on top of our minds.”

Red 5, developer of free to play shooter Firefall, will launch a brand new studio in Cork in the Republic of Ireland, its been announced.

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PWC will provide an update to protesters having sit-ins oat at GAME’s former stores in the Republic of Ireland regarding redundancy pay, according to Irish broadcaster RTE.

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Several GAME Ireland stores are holding sit-ins this morning after all of the retailers stores in the Republic were closed following it entering administration yesterday.

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GAME’s administration has resulted in some serious bloodletting.

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The EU PS Blog has gone live with details of PlayStation Vita Vaults, a new tour that will allow people in the Republic of Ireland try PlayStation Vita. The vaults will contain demo units to try the latest games, with a chance to enter a PS Vita.

The tour lasts two weeks. Stops along the way and dates are after the break.

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GameStop has said its Northern Ireland closures shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

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GAME’s sales during the Christmas break were down by 15 percent, the retailer said today, but the company remains optimistic on the year ahead with the upcoming launches of PlayStation Vita and Wii U.

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Previously US-only movie streaming service Netflix has started to appear in the UK and Ireland for PS3 owners.

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Bioware has said its Galway-based offices provided “multiple dimensions of support” for its Austin-based studio by monitoring server stability in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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Sony’s announced that Vodafone has been selected as the “preferred partner” for Playstation Vita’s 3G services in Europe.

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Richard Wilson, CEO of the UK video game trade alliance TIGA, said yesterday that the UK government should not be ignoring Ireland’s drive to attract video game developers. More »

GameStop UK is to introduce a 320Gb White SKU of PS3, which it has listed on its website. It’ll go on sale, with two white controllers bundled, for £249.97 on November 1, which is just a day short of Uncharted 3 launching in Europe. GameStop will also stock it in its stores that form its retail Irish chain – GameStop UK is online-only – in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Pando Networks has completed a UK study which has revealed download speeds and completion rates across the country are “far slower than many broadband providers advertise.”

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