EA Sports opening up Austin studio

EA Sports is getting an expansion team, as the Austin-American Statesman reports that Electronic Arts has committed to opening up a new studio deep in the heart of Texas. The Austin-based studio is expected to add 300 jobs to the publisher's presence in the Texas capital, joining fellow EA shop BioWare Austin.

About half of the new jobs are expected to be full-time positions, with the remainder being contract work. EA has also already started the hiring process, although it's not clear when the studio is expected to be fully staffed.

An official announcement about the studio is expected to be made later today with Texas Governor Rick Perry. The governor, who has been speculated as making a run for the 2012 Republican nomination for president, has advocated tax incentives for game publishers for years.

In a keynote address at the 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Perry pitched developers on bringing their business to the Lone Star State. Earlier this year, he also pushed the Texas legislature to preserve the state's Emerging Technology Fund, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to companies developing and commercializing new technologies.

EA Games president Frank Gibeau told the paper that Perry's efforts were a factor in the publisher's decision to set up shop in Austin, along with the local talent base and the state's business-friendly climate. He also declined to specify which projects the studio would be put to work on first.