Video game firm opening studio in New Orleans

Gameloft, a French video game publisher, is set to open a game development studio in New Orleans. Gameloft says it will create 146 jobs in New Orleans over the next decade, with jobs over time averaging more than $60,000 a year, plus benefits. Gameloft plans to hire 20 new employees for the New Orleans office and to publish at least one game title in the first year created entirely by the Louisiana team. Gameloft makes video games for everything from game consoles to smartphones, and has licenses to make games featuring Spider-Man, UNO and Avatar. Gov. Bobby Jindal says Gameloft’s announcement is a big win in the state’s efforts to grow its digital media industry. “We’re excited to bring one of the world’s leading publishers of digital and social games to our state, and we’re particularly excited that our young people in New Orleans no longer have to look beyond our state’s borders to find some of the most exciting career opportunities in the world,” Jindal says.