BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Governor Bobby Jindal and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) today announced a partnership including Electronic Arts (EA), Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) that will lead to the creation of a new global quality assurance (QA) center in Baton Rouge. The facility will be the first of its kind in the United States and will serve primarily as a test center for EA SPORTS’ software titles.Joining Governor Jindal in making the announcement were EA’s Senior Vice President for Central Development Services Sharon Knight, LSU Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Dr. Brooks Keel, Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) Stephen Moret, President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) Adam Knapp and President of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation John Davies.
Governor Jindal said, “This announcement of EA putting the first-of-its-kind video game testing center in the U.S. right here in Baton Rouge is a terrific win for the city and the future of our state. We know our economic development initiatives have to be aggressive, but they must also be innovative, and EA has both of these important attributes. This testing center will create 20 full time jobs, and more than 200 part-time jobs for LSU students who will get paid to play video games. I know this will be a dream job for some kids, but it is also a key part of strengthening our state’s economic development so we become the best place in the world to do business and all of our children can stay right here at home to pursue their dreams.” Jindal added, “This job win is a critical step in creating a digital media economy that will generate even more high-paying high tech jobs and help us compete for even more jobs within EA in the future.”
Gov. Jindal personally cultivated a relationship with EA, and his state budget for fiscal year 2009 includes funding for two new positions focused specifically on growing the digital media industry in Louisiana.
Read More
