Source: Baton Rouge Business Report -- Daily Report
The new Electronic Arts video game “global quality assurance center” at LSU won’t create that many jobs: 20 full-time, along with 200 part-time jobs for lucky college students who will test the games. But officials at today’s announcement repeatedly stressed it puts Baton Rouge and Louisiana on the digital media map, possibly opening the door to other projects in the future. “We are not stopping here,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says. “We will be leveraging this victory to create many more in the coming years.”
Incentives to EA could total up to $14 million over 10 years, Moret says, including a 20% tax credit on eligible spending, incentives from the state’s “quality jobs” program, and $100,000 from the city-parish for improvements to the South Campus facility that will host the center. Payroll for the operation is expected to reach $5.7 million annually within two years, officials said. Hiring will begin in September.—David Jacobs
Publish Date:
08-20-2008
