Electronic Arts starts to make video games in Bucharest

The largest producer of videogames worldwide, Electronic Arts (EA), is set to produce video games for computers, PS3 (Sony) and xBox360 consoles (Microsoft) in Romania, and has already rented 2,500 square-metres of office space in Sema Parc complex, Bucharest, Viorel Alex Marinescu, manager of Enabling Technologies EA, told ZIARUL FINANCIAR. Electronic Arts has created several of the world’s best-selling games, such as FIFA 08, NBA LIVE, Need for Speed, The Sims, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Godfather. Romania is the first country in Central and Eastern Europe where the American company (with turnover worth over 3 billion dollars) has launched such a centre. Electronic Arts has been present in Romania since 2005, but has so far only produced games for mobile phones, which are sold by the leading operators in Europe, such as Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and O2. EA declared the Bucharest centre, which was created by a former journalist, Mihai Pohontu, as the company’s European centre for the production of games for mobile phones. Pohontu is now a part of EA’s top management, and a Worldwide Quality Assurance Director.