Irish gaming development company Black Shamrock is to create 80 jobs as it expands its operations at the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) in Dublin City Centre.
This will bring its total headcount to 200 by the end of 2023.
Founded in 2015 and now part of the Virtuos group, Black Shamrock is a co-development studio that specialises in RPG and action-adventure games for PCs and consoles.
The studio has worked on games such as The Outer Worlds, Grounded, Back 4 Blood, Destroy All Humans!, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, and Pillars of Eternity.
Black Shamrock was acquired by games development company Virtuos in 2017 as part of its expansion to cater to an increased demand for AAA co-development services globally.
It has collaborated with some of the biggest game studios around the world, and its continued planned expansion means it has several projects in the pipeline.
Lukas Codr, General Manager of Black Shamrock, said the company was rapidly expanding all areas of production to cater to the growing needs of its client partners.
“The game projects that we are currently developing are some of the most exciting in the world, so it is the perfect time to join us if you want to work on the most awe-inspiring AAA games and do some of the best work of your career,” he added.
AAA games are video games that are created by a large studio, with big budgets and teams behind them.
Black Shamrock is recruiting talent in art, design, engineering, and production, with additional business support roles opening up in the coming months.
Leo Varadkar TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said that Black Shamrock’s hiring news was “particularly welcome at a time when other tech companies are announcing job losses. It also shows that the tax changes recently introduced for the digital gaming industry are working.”
Eileen Sharpe, IDA Ireland’s Head of Growth Markets, said the country’s combination of creative and technical talent makes it the perfect location from which to grow and develop the video gaming sector.
“IDA Ireland welcomes this investment, and the opportunity to create high-quality jobs for talented people in this exciting growth area,” she added.