Japanese company use Digital Hub as base for expansion into European markets

Gala Networks Europe is the European Head quarters of Japanese games company GALA Inc. They located in The Digital Hub in April 2007 with a workforce of just 4 people. Today Gala Networks Europe employ 50 people with expansion plans of up to a 100 strong workforce in The Digital Hub by early 2010. When the company moved to the Digital Hub in 2007 they were able to occupy an extremely flexible, ready-to-go office space in the Digital Hub’s high profile Digital Depot building, which is The Digital Hub’s business incubator. This allowed Gala Networks Europe to evolve their European HQ at their own pace.

After one year Gala Networks Europe had already outgrown their office in Digital Depot and today they are based in another of The Digital Hub’s buildings, Digital Exchange, a move which was conveniently managed for them by The Digital Hub. Digital Exchange is an 18th century grain store which has been refurbished to the highest standard to accommodate Digital Media companies such as Gala Networks Europe. This building is also home to the National Digital Research Centre, as well as the offices of the Digital Hub Development Agency who manage The Digital Hub project.

Having been present in Ireland for less than two years, Gala Networks Europe is already a leading European free-to-play online games publisher. The company operates the gPotato brand by hosting, publishing and distributing free online games such as the MMORPG like Flyff and Rappelz via the www.gpotato.eu portal. The portal is now a major destination for online gamers with more than a million users. Their latest game, Street Gears, is available on beta since November 2008, and will be followed by the MMORPG Dragonica in early 2009. Gala Networks Europe is servicing some of the main European markets from their Digital Hub base and all games are currently available in French and German.

The ability to attract a flexible, highly skilled and multilingual workforce, flexible high profile office space within The Digital Hub’s cluster of indigenous and international Digital Media companies, and the availability of high end IT and broadband services have made Gala Networks Europe’s expansion into European markets a large success.

GALA Inc was established in 1993 and has become one of Japan’s largest operators of online communities. In 2000 the company was listed on Nasdaq Japan. In 2006 it acquired multiple Korean game development studios, and since then has been providing online game services worldwide. Following a strategic review, Gala–Net, San Jose, California was established in early 2006 to serve its US based online game users and has already exceeded expectations resulting in a large number of European customers downloading its games. To serve and expand its growing base of users in Europe, the company established its European Headquarters Gala Networks Europe in The Digital Hub in 2007.

Gala Networks Europe, Digital Exchange, Crane Street, The Digital Hub, Dublin 8.
www.gpotato.eu