The two companies are to begin merging immediately. The merger is expected to be completed by April 1, and the new company will be named Square Enix.

The chairman of this new company will be Yasuhiro Fukushima (the chairman of Enix); the president is Wada Youichi (president of Square); and the vice-president is Keiji Honda (president of Enix). For the investment ratio, Yasuhiro Fukushima will hold 30% of Square Enix, Miyamoto will hold 18% and Sony Computer Entertainment will hold 8%.

Square are responsible for the huge Final Fantasy series, which helped put Sony's Playstation on the map, and have recently announced their support for both the GameCube and the Gameboy Advance.

Enix create the Dragon Quest RPG series, less well known in the West, but much much larger than Final Fantasy in Japan. Dragon Quest games are never released on weekdays, because too many employees skip work. Enix have also recently pledged their support to the GameCube.

The two major franchises of the companies will be kept separate. What effect this has on you GameCube owners is currently unknown, but the potential is very promising.

Source: Magic Box