As most readers at this site are aware, Square Enix currently holds the trademark on the name Chrono Break, which has led many hopeful gamers to expect the imminent announcement of said title in spite of the fact that this trademark has been marking time for a year and more. Now, the company has added more fuel to the fires of speculation with the registration of two more American trademarks for the naming of video games: Drakengard and Rise of the Zilart.

It should once again be stressed that the registration of trademarks does not necessarily mean games will follow, either immediately or ever. Along with Chrono Break, Square Enix is currently several Final Fantasy titles ahead of the game in the trademark department for that series, while the aforementioned potential title in the Chrono series has yet to be announced or even confirmed.

In other Square Enix news, Yasuhiro Fukushima, former chairman of Enix, told Mainichi that a merger with Square had been under consideration as long as three years ago. According to Mr. Fukushima, the sticking point at the time was the terrible showing of Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within, which made Enix think twice before committing to the partnership.

Fukushima is now concerned with the strength of Square Enix's online software, a potential weak spot for the company if connection costs continue to decline in correspondence with the development of Japanese internet infrastructure. Square Enix is already taking steps to combat this problem, having devoted a fair amount of time and resources to improving the standard of its PlayOnline software, as well as the development team behind it.