US games developer TKO Software is to set up its international headquarters in Dublin’s Digital Hub, creating 40 jobs over the next five years. The centre is being established with the support of IDA Ireland, which is actively targeting the digital media sector for investment into Ireland.
The company behind games titles such as Medal of Honour Allied Assault, Ashen Empires and Knuckle-Up and X-men 2: Battle will use the Dublin operation to fulfil existing business and expand its contacts outside the US. To begin with, it will focus on porting, testing and localising wireless game titles that have been developed by the company’s US parent and marketing them to European mobile networks.
As TKO’s international customer base grows, it plans to use the Irish facility as a centre for developing and creating games. TKO currently develops for several platforms including Windows PCs, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles as well as mobile phones and handheld devices.
The jobs created at the international headquarters will require high-level skills, with more than 90pc of posts for third-level graduates in engineering, production and computing areas. The company also plans to recruit staff with game-specific expertise, particularly in the areas of animation and production.
Announcing the news, Tánaiste Mary Harney TD (pictured) said: “This is a further breakthrough in IDA’s policy to attract high level players in the digital media industry to Ireland. The decision by TKO Software to locate its international headquarters in the Digital Hub is testament to Ireland’s growing profile as a top-class location for the digital media sector. The interactive games industry is currently being targeted by the IDA as a particular area of opportunity and this centre will act as a catalyst in attracting other companies in the games industry to consider Ireland as a location for future investment.” Other global games industry players based in Ireland include Microsoft Xbox, Alienware and Havok.
By Gordon Smith
