Red 5 Studios, an online games developer will establish its European Headquarters in Cork, creating 30 jobs in that region. Red 5 Studios is dedicated to bringing together millions of gamers from across the world by creating immersive worlds, intriguing stories, and compelling characters. The European Headquarters will be responsible for the European rollout of Firefall, Red 5's free-to play team based action shooter.

Firefall is one of the most eagerly anticipated games of 2012. The European Headquarters will initially provide customer support, community management and localization for Firefall which, currently in exclusive beta, is due to be fully rolled out in 2012.

Commenting on the announcement, Mark Kern, CEO/CCO of Red 5 Studios said, "I'm really happy to break new ground for Red 5 in Cork, Ireland. We see so many passionate European gamers in our forums and we want to support them with everything we can. Red 5 Ireland will be like a start-up in many ways for us, and the local team we're hiring will be essential in bringing the Red 5 culture to Europe and defining the European player experience."

Welcoming the investment, IDA Ireland CEO Barry O'Leary, said, "I very much welcome Red 5 Studios' decision to locate its European Headquarters in Cork and the jobs announced today. The program for Government highlights the digital game industry as a particular priority area for growth and the decision by Red 5 Studios, a fast growing company with such huge potential, will help enhance our status as a centre for the games sector."