February 19^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Since May of 1998, Squaresoft has partnered with Electronic Arts for the distribution of their game titles, but after 5 years the partnership will come to an end on the 31st of March. On the eve of the recent Square Enix merger starting April 1st, Square will be publishing its products under the Square Enix U.S.A. brand. Square Enix U.S.A will be located, and operated in Los Angeles California, and this North American opposite of Japan’s Square Enix, will market and publish Square Enix products under the leadership of Jun Iwasaki, the newly named president and CEO.

“As Square and Enix begin the worldwide implementation of the merger, our goals for the North American market will shift to include not only increasing our market share for our franchises, but also expanding the role-playing game market in North America,” said Wada “We are currently evaluating the best strategy to accomplish these goals and look forward to growing our business as a new company. We have enjoyed a very successful partnership with Electronic Arts over the past five years and we are currently exploring opportunities for a new relationship.”

“We are looking forward to this new structure in North America” said current Enix president, Keiji Honda. “Together, Square and Enix will deliver a gaming experience that everyone will enjoy. We are committed to developing and marketing innovative, creative and original titles. We hope to accomplish our goals by providing quality role-playing games to gamers in North America.”