Online gaming boom to create 15 new jobs in North

The explosion in the popularity of online gaming is creating 15 new highly skilled technical and software jobs in Co Down, it was announced today.

Jolt Online Gaming has set up a centre in Newry to manage the firm’s core online gaming software systems and provide technical support to players worldwide.

The site is destined to become the operational heart of the company online network, said chief executive Dylan Collins, hinting at potentially more jobs in the future.

Jolt, an online gaming publisher currently has offices in Vancouver, Dublin and Hamburg.

Invest NI offered over £220,000 (€245,000) towards a £606,000 (€676,500) investment by Jolt in the Newry centre.

Online gaming is a method by which users play a computer-based game via an internet connection – and is a competitive and rapidly growing area of the digital sector.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster welcomed the investment and said: “To secure such a project in the current economic climate is an extremely positive development which demonstrates how this region is remaining competitive and can still attract high quality investment.”

The minister said it would deliver over £1m (€1.11m) in additional wages and salaries into the local economy in the first three years.

Mrs Foster added: “Jolt is a young, dynamic company which will contribute to, and benefit from, the local knowledge base. Jolt’s presence will also support the development of advanced skills in the niche area of gaming, part of our growing digital content sector, which Invest NI is actively targeting for investment by both locally owned and internationally owned companies.”

Mr Collins said: “Jolt Online Gaming has a rapidly growing online games community with millions of users from around the world playing our games every month.

“We have a continuous need for dedicated and committed people to join our team in order to support this growth.

“With Invest NI support and the strong local skills and knowledge base, I believe the Newry site will become the operational heart of the Jolt Online Gaming network.”

It would be crucial to helping the company expand its global reach and provide a quality service to its gamers, he added.