EA to build up presence in Asia with Singapore subsidiary

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has announced plans to further expand into Asia with the establishment of a new studio in Singapore that also will employ staff from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Holland.

EA Singapore's 20-strong staff will concentrate on translating and localising EA titles into at least five different languages for distribution throughout Asia, and will also produce online games for the region's booming Internet gaming market.

Irene Chua will take on the role of VP of operations, while EA's Chris Thompson - VP and GM of EA Southeast Asia - will also move to Singapore from Tokyo, where he was GM of EA Japan for seven years.

âWe are happy that Electronic Arts has chosen Singapore to establish their primary localisation studio in Asia. EA is the latest addition of top tier digital media companies that EDB has attracted to Singapore over the past 18 months. It is a significant boost to our efforts in building Singapore into a Digital Media Capital," said Teo Ming Kian, chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board.

EA Asia president Jon Niermann commented: "The EDB has been very supportive and we are looking forward to working closely with them to build a positive local presence."