300 people are out of a job this holiday season as a ZeniMax customer support center for Elder Scrolls Online is shut down in Galway, Ireland. In 2011, ZeniMax announced that it would be opening the center in Galway, set to focus on future MMO’s. The news of the closure comes at the same time as Galway’s two new manufacturing facilities. The Connacht Tribune reports that “Galway reinforced its positioning as a global hub in its other key employment sector – medical technology.” This new venture will create over 65 new jobs, whereas ZeniMax’s closing will only leave 5-6 people still working at the customer service center.
The customer support center in Galway was supposed to used for giving customer assistance to a broader European audience. A source says, from of The Connacht Tribune, “Around half-a-dozen employees remain, to keep things ticking over, but things have been wound down there. It may be the case that things may pick up again if they have another [game] release.”
The official Elder Scrolls Online development site in ZeniMax Studios in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Earlier this year, ESO switched to a pay-once system instead of a monthly fee.
As of now, there is nothing concrete as to why the customer support center closed for close to the holidays.