Blizzard to open call centre in Cork

Games developer Blizzard Entertainment, owned by publisher Vivendi Games, is to set  up its European call centre in Cork, the move is designed to offer European gamers with a higher level of support.

The company's investment in Cork is backed by the Irish Government's IDA (Industrial Development Agency). As is standard, no details of what the company was offered to chose Cork were reviled.

Blizzard will created 50 jobs at first, with the total numbers employed growing to over 100 in the the next three year the IDA said on Wednesday, it was on the day Intel said they would look for 200 voluntary job cuts at their Irish plant.

Both Vivendi and Blizzard are headquartered in the United States, but are owned by France media company Vivendi SA. Blizzard is best known for developing the online game World of Warcraft (pictured above), which has 9 million subscribers worldwide.

Vivendi Games Ireland have run computer games localisation operations - including game testing - in Dublin since 1995. They are among a number of companies to do such in Ireland, including Microsoft and Activision, also in Dublin, and Lionbridge in Ballina Co Mayo.

“Blizzard Entertainment is a global leader in the entertainment software industry, setting the standard for online gaming on the personal computer,” said Micheál Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

“This decision by Blizzard to establish a new European customer support centre in Cork is further evidence of how Ireland is viewed internationally as a leading location for cutting edge investment in the exciting world of digital content,” the Minister added.