Joystiq reports the new positions will be concentrated on the new EA Sports studio, which will be housed in BioWare’s old offices in Austin, as well as EA Games, IT and finance roles in other locales.

The new studios will support EA Sports’ current teams in Orlando and Burnaby at first. It has not been decided which franchises the Austin team will work on.

“I think we’ll probably start this first year somewhere around 30-35, just to get the team up and moving, just so they can start building features and working on HD platform development,” EA Sports chief Daryl Holt said.

EA Sports stressed that the new studio will not undermine current teams at Tiburon, Burnaby, Blackbox and Vancouver.

“We’re not going to disrupt what’s currently going on,” Holt said.

“Orlando’s expanding, Burnaby’s expanding, EA’s growing.”

A leaked internal memo had previously revealed EA’s plans for a Texan studio.

Thanks, GameInformer.

What the world needs now is jobs – sweet jobs – and in Texas, they’ve got them. Having poured USD $234 million and 3,400 permanent positions into the Lone Star State, the games industry is being hailed as a success story of economic incentives schemes.

Gamasutra reports that the combined efforts of Texas-based games figures has created more jobs than any other industry eligible for the same scheme.

Television, film and music companies are the industry’s rival under Texas’s Moving Image Industry Incentive Program.

According to a report from state comptroller Susan Combs, the industry created over 1,700 jobs in the twelve month period leading up to April 2010. Notable Texan developers include iD and Gearbox.

Quakecon’s to be held at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, id said today, not the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas as previously planned.

If you’d already booked into the Anatole for the shoot-fest, your room’s been cancelled. You need to ring up the Gaylord and get re-reserving.

Quakecon 2009 takes place from August 13-16.

Thanks, BigDownload.

THQ’s grabbed a 33,000 sqft office in Austin, Texas, according to Kotaku.

Gama reckons the facility’s for Vigil Games, the developer currently putting together THQ’s 40K MMO.

Still no date on the game, however.

The press release mainly focuses on what this means to the movie industry, but it applies to all forms of media created by companies that take up shop in the state.

“The passage of House Bill 873 is an important step in helping Texas regain its footing in the moving image business,” Gov. Perry said. “With this legislation, we are strengthening our state’s investment in a vital industry that not only shows off our state to the rest of the world, but also draws investment and creates jobs for Texans.”

ESA’s Mike Gallagher, who lobbied for the bill’s support back in March, seemed very pleased with the governor’s decision.

“I commend Governor Rick Perry and the Texas state legislature for recognizing the contributions that the video game industry already has made in the state, and for acting quickly and decisively to ensure that the industry has the opportunity to reach its full potential,” he said.

“Today, Texas showed its strong willingness to stay competitive with other states that are seeking to attract video game developers and publishers.”

Whole thing through the break.

Thanks, GamePolitics.

Austin — Gov. Rick Perry today signed House Bill (HB) 873 by Rep. Dawnna Dukes and Sen. Robert Duell, which promotes the entertainment industry in Texas by providing incentives for the film, television, video and digital interactive media production industries.

“The passage of House Bill 873 is an important step in helping Texas regain its footing in the moving image business,” Gov. Perry said. “With this legislation, we are strengthening our state’s investment in a vital industry that not only shows off our state to the rest of the world, but also draws investment and creates jobs for Texans.”

The governor was joined by lawmakers, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, members of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, and representatives of the film, television, commercial and video game industries from across the state at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios for the signing.

Texas has lost approximately 7,000 crew positions and $500 million in production spending to states with more competitive film incentives, such as New Mexico, whose feature film and television productions contributed $242 million to its state economy in 2008, and Louisiana, which earned $350 million in production in 2007. Currently, about 25 percent of Texas-based film professionals are working in these states, some starting to relocate permanently.

The moving image industry has brought more than $1.2 billion dollars to the state in the past 10 years. Gov. Perry noted that these investments would not only boost the entertainment industry in Texas, but would also indirectly affect other industries and businesses that support these productions.

For more information on Texas film incentives, please visit http://www.governor.state.tx.us/film

ESA bossman Michael Gallagher is asking the Texas government for stronger tax incentives for software companies doing business in the state.

Gallagher explains that the development community in Texas is just as important as the SXSW conference created for the state’s music and entertainment industry.

The Texas Senate and House of Representative are currently considering bills to expand such economic incentives, and Gallagher wants the game industry to be included in the decision-making process.

“Texas currently risks falling behind several states in economic incentive programs for the entertainment industry, he said.

“This year alone, thirteen states are actively considering legislation that will either create or significantly expand their existing incentive program for digital interactive media development and production.

“These incentives not only help meet the needs of the video game industry for talented programmers and animators, but also help keep the state’s brightest young minds from moving away.”

More through the link.

As you can see on the QuakeCon site, registration for the Texan id show opens on March 6.

You’ll be able to book tickets from 9.30pm EST.

This year’s QuakeCon takes place August 13-16, 2009, in Dallas, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.

The State of Texas has decided that February 3 will from here on out be known as Entertainment Software Day.

The event’s been created to pay homage to the impact the videogame industry has had on the state’s economy.

In 2006 the games trade grew 16 percent in the Lone Star State says GamesIndustry.biz, and added $395 million to the economy. To help this figure grow even more, in 2007 the state legislature passed a bill in which provides tax rebates to videogame companies.

According to the ESA’s Michael D Gallagher, “These lawmakers are helping grow our industry as we work to create new jobs for Texans; boost the state’s economy; and help discover new ways computer and videogames can improve the ways Americans live, work and play.”

See, Texas isn’t all guns and cattle drives after all.

The Xboxes were en route from a Microsoft office in McAllen, Texas, to Long Beach, California, for eventual delivery to Hong Kong at the time of the loss, which occurred on October 13, last year, according to court papers.

Flextronics Industrial in Hong Kong was the intended recipient.

More through the link.

Perry apparently spoke at length about how great Texas is as a home for developers. The report makes it sound scintillating.

Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher warmed the crowd up with a bit of biographical background on Perry, then introduced a video clip featuring some of the biggest names in Texas’ game development community: Junction Point Studios head Warren Spector, BioWare’s Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel, and NCsoft’s Starr Long. The four developers talked about the reasons to make games in Texas, from the talent pool to the cost of living and lack of income tax.

“I think they need to know that Texas rocks,” Walton explained. “Texas is a great place to make games.”

Not cool, ESA.

id announced QuakeCon 2008 last night, which is now confirmed to be running from July 31 to August 3 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

As well as hosting the biggest LAN party in America, the event will see exhibits from more than 60 developers. In addition, you get to see John Carmack talk space-speak, and that won’t happen forever, so get it while you can.

We know someone that made the effort to get there last year and loved every second: QuakeCon really is supposed to be worth it, so do consider the trip, journo types.

Press release after the link.

MESQUITE, Texas – April 22, 2008 – As temperatures begin to rise it’s time to start planning the ultimate summer vacation to THE must-attend gaming event of the year – QuakeCon 2008. That’s right! The world’s greatest gaming festival and party will take place July 31 – August 3, 2008 in Dallas, TX at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. As always, this event is FREE to all attendees thanks to the incredible support of the QuakeCon volunteer staff, id Software, and the event sponsors and exhibitors.

QuakeCon will once again host North America’s largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, as well as an expanded exhibits area with nearly 60 companies demonstrating their latest products. Of course, it wouldn’t be QuakeCon without highly-competitive tournaments for serious cash and bragging rights, parties, contests, entertainment and announcements.

Registration for the BYOC area will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on April 30, 2008 at www.quakecon.org.

The Hilton Anatole is now taking room reservations for QuakeCon 2008 through their custom QuakeCon reservation page or through their toll-free reservations number, 1-800-HILTONS. To receive the specially negotiated room rate of $137.00 (single, double, triple or quad occupancy) and the special daily self-park rate of $5 (regularly $15 per day), you must request the group rate for “QuakeCon 2008” or book through the link above when making your reservation. The hotel requires a $50 non-refundable deposit on group reservations, which will be credited to your final room bill upon check-out. Rooms at this special rate are limited.

Companies interested in receiving information on sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities should email sponsors@quakecon.org.

More exciting details about QuakeCon 2008 will follow. Visit www.quakecon.org to stay on top of the latest information. Plan your travel, reserve your hotel room and BYOC spot, practice those gaming skillz and prepare to be blown away by another awesome QuakeCon.