"Xanadu" has often been a word associated with strongholds, from the original centre of Kubla Khan’s empire to a media mogul’s imposing mansion in Orson Wells’ 1941 classic Citizen Kane.

Pre-tax profits at a Cork-based subsidiary of the global online games giant Blizzard Entertainment that recently announced the loss of 200 jobs at its Cork base increased by 30% to €3.5m in 2010.