Top Company Born After Huge Merger Of Showbiz Giants.

ALTHOUGH its name is new, L.A.'s No. 1 software firm has a familiar ring to it. After last year's merger between Paris-based Vivendi and Universal, what was once Vivendi-owned Havas Interactive has become Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing North America.

It's been less than a year and the Culver City-based company already has been through two name changes. Following the merger in December, Havas became Vivendi Universal Publishing in January. In May, after organizational changes, the company announced that its new name would be Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing North America.

The name hasn't been the only change. Upon completion of December's merger, Luc H. Vanhal was elevated from his position as Havas' chief financial officer to chief executive of the newly renamed company. And last June, the company's games division announced it was getting a new head, Kenneth D. Cron, who stepped in for former Havas chief executive, Hubert Joly. Joly left to focus on his role as senior vice president, North American Integration, at Vivendi Universal.

Since the merger, the company has continued to hire new talent. It reported 1,100 local employees in June, up 100 from last December.

The newcomers and veterans alike should find plenty to keep them busy. Last May, the company signed an eight-year deal with Tolkien Enterprises to develop and release multiple games based on the literary works, "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings." The company also signed a three-year, co-publishing agreement with Fox Interactive. That deal gives Vivendi Universal Interactive exclusive rights to manufacture, market and distribute games for PC and console platforms.