Delivering on their promise to become more engaged with Western developers, Square Enix announced a strategic partnership with Gas Powered Games for the publishing of the upcoming Supreme Commander 2.

The deal will see the Washington-based developer with Square Enix to deliver more “western oriented” titles so that the company can expand their presence in the west. It also marks a new direction for Square Enix, who in the past has normally worked only with Japanese developers to produce the titles that the company markets. The decision to form a partnership with a Western developer could be just the start, as the company has said that they are looking to acquire Western development studios.

Both companies seem to be excited about the future and the ability for Square Enix to be able to help a western developer break into the Japanese market space which has been traditionally dominated by titles that are built by Japanese developers. For Gas Power Games the deal could provide some stability, as the company has done publishing deals with a variety of companies since breaking ties with Microsoft.