Savannah in Running for Video Game Development Deal

ATLANTA -- Electronic Arts is looking at Savannah and Atlanta for the location of its next development center, a source tells the Atlanta Business Chronicle, a media partner of 11Alive News.

"Georgia is apparently offering EA a downtown Savannah warehouse equipped with fiber optic and other infrastructure to support a game development center that would focus on product testing, a source familiar with EA told me Friday morning," Urvaksh Karkaria wrote in his blog Friday.

The development center would come with a multimillion dollar investment and could employ as many as 300 people, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.

The Redwood City, Calif.-based video game publisher (Nasdaq: ERTS) is considering Georgia for a multimillion-dollar investment, according to a source familiar with the details.

"Discussions are really active," the source said.

EA spokesman Jeff Brown confirmed the company is considering the Peach State, in addition to Louisiana and Florida, as it seeks to relocate work from high-cost areas like California. Texas had also been in contention, but was dropped.

Brown declined to speculate on employment and investment details, the Georgia sites being looked at, or when a decision might be made.

EA, famous for its Madden NFL and Rock Band franchises, develops and publishes interactive software for video game systems, personal computers, cell phones and the Internet.

The company has a large development operation in Orlando, Fla. EA is considering Georgia for a game development and support center that will work on an undisclosed franchise, Brown said.

The center would employ developers, testers, customer service reps and others.

"It's great to see that companies are starting to recognize Atlanta's potential as a leader in game design," said Savannah College of Art and Design School of Film and Digital Media Associate Dean Matt Maloney.

The classrooms a SCAD were empty Friday, as students are on winter break, but Maloney said representatives from Electronic Arts have been in touch regarding the possibility of a new development center and the inquiry piqued his interest. "Many of our students, both in animation and game design have an interest in working for companies like Electronic Arts."

"EA's presence in Atlanta would help to raise the flag to the rest of the world that Atlanta is the hub for game design," Maloney said.