US videogame maker Electronic Arts (EA) is planning to hire 300 employees in Galway, Ireland over the next several months.
The move by video game maker said to be a setback to UK, which has been trying to attract gaming companies with the promise of tax breaks from next year.
Irish Government through IDA Ireland will support the investment from EA which already employs 400 people at its facility in Galway that was opened in 2010.
EA COO Peter Moore said that the EA European Customer Experience Centre is the focal point of the company’s strategy to serve gamers on a global basis.
"In today’s fast-moving digital environment, we need to engage with our worldwide customer base on a 24/7 basis, across all of EA’s games and services and in multiple languages," Moore said.
"Galway’s mix of technology infrastructure and talent availability, combined with a pro-business environment, will help us expand on our existing foundation here."
IDA Ireland CEO Barry O’Leary said, "The EA facility in Galway will take on responsibility for delivering high quality multilingual customer experience for a broad range of EA titles."
EA offers games and online services for internet connected games consoles, mobile phones, social networks, tablets, PCs and social neworks.
EA, which operates in 75 countries, posted a net revenue of $4.1bn in fiscal 2012.
In Ireland, prior to E A, online retailer Amazon had revealed its plans in May 2012 to hire 100 news employees at its Dublin development centre in Ireland.