BioWare adds Irish customer service center

BioWare intends to launch Star Wars: The Old Republic for the PC in spring 2011, and considering the hype surrounding the game, the EA-owned studio is going to need a few extra hands to help support its player base. Today, EA announced plans to open a new, BioWare-devoted support center in Galway, Ireland. Described as a European customer service and operations center, the Galway-based outfit is expected to create roughly 200 jobs when it opens its doors in 2011.

EA noted that it selected the Galway location thanks to an investment by the Irish government through IDA Ireland. Ireland has stepped up its efforts to woo game makers to its shores within the past year. Last year, Scotland's Sunday Herald reported that the Irish government had begun actively courting UK companies, namely APB creator Realtime Worlds, which is headquartered in Dundee, Scotland.

Though EA has not provided a specific launch date for its Star Wars massively multiplayer online role-playing game, it has begun accepting beta-test applications through its official Web site.