Firefly, best known for the Stronghold series, has taken its next step in the games industry by moving from pure development into publishing. The company unveiled a new label, Wuselfaktory, dedicated to strategy games, and introduced its inaugural publishing project, Fool King, during the UKIE "For One Night Only" showcase earlier this year. Fool King, built by debut developer Loot Donkey, bills itself as a tactical autobattler with a roguelike twist: players assemble and position their forces, then watch the combat resolve automatically. Studio head Nick Tannahill tells GamesIndustry.biz that the decision to become a publisher mirrors a broader trend among indie studios, yet he believes Firefly’s deep roots in strategy give it a distinct advantage.
The strategy space on PC has long been dominated by heavyweight publishers such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse. While Wuselfaktory will not aim to match their output volume, it intends to bring a curated selection of titles to market, leveraging Firefly’s expertise and modest ambitions. For Fool King, Firefly is providing the development funding and handling the marketing push.
Devolver, Firefly’s parent company, has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that as the publishing operation matures, Firefly plans to bring those localisation and QA responsibilities in‑house, using its existing team of roughly 50 staff members. "We already run a small publishing unit, which is why we can take this on," he explains.
Firefly’s publishing experience is not brand‑new. The studio has been self‑publishing its own titles since 2010, establishing workflows for localisation, marketing, and platform relations. Over the years it has cultivated strong ties with Steam, GOG, and other storefronts, and it has amassed a deep understanding of what strategy players expect.
This background enables Firefly to offer more than just financial backing; it can also provide hands‑on development assistance. "One of the real benefits a publisher can bring is that we’ve been on the other side of the table – negotiating deals, managing community expectations – and we can translate that into concrete development support," Tannahill says. For Fool King, this has meant regular consultations on the game’s user interface, multiple rounds of feedback on core mechanics, and guidance on its asynchronous multiplayer component.
"A single hour‑long call can accelerate a project dramatically and smooth out potential pitfalls," he adds. The push into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognised its own limited experience in the strategy niche. "We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021, and they basically said, ‘You know strategy inside‑out – we don’t, so why not lead that effort,’" Tannahill recounts.
The studio’s constant monitoring of emerging strategy titles also positioned it well to spot promising indie projects. In fact, Tannahill discovered Fool King after reading a feature on Rock Paper Shotgun. Playing smaller strategy games is a habit for Tannahill, who uses them as creative fuel for future Stronghold entries. "I browse tiny Steam or itch.io releases to keep my brain fresh and gather ideas," he says.
"When I see a gem that could benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnership, I think about how we could help." Devolver trusts Firefly to handle both the sourcing of new titles and the associated marketing. The parent company admits it lacks deep connections within the strategy community, relying on Firefly’s established relationships with press, content creators, and niche sub‑genre audiences.
"Strategy fans speak a particular language, and we need someone who understands it," Tannahill notes. To stay close to its audience, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo it releases, asking players about pricing expectations, desired features, and future game ideas.
The studio typically receives around 6,000 responses per survey, providing a robust data set that informs design decisions and marketing strategies. This feedback loop has revealed a surprisingly youthful player base, with a strong concentration of gamers aged 18‑25. Firefly therefore targets the platforms and social channels where these younger players congregate, aiming to funnel them into its existing IPs and upcoming releases. Tannahill sees the strategy genre as both massive and under‑served.
"If you scan the top‑hundred wish‑listed games on Steam, a huge portion are strategy titles," he observes. Yet classic franchises like Command and Conquer have faded from mainstream awareness, not because the brand lacks appeal, but because few new entries have been produced.
He views this gap as an opportunity, especially as other high‑profile genres encounter market headwinds. "Strategy isn’t the flashiest genre any more, but it quietly dominates Steam’s sales charts," Tannahill explains. "While Roblox expands and console sales plateau, PC‑centric, deep‑systems games thrive.
Players love to sit at their desks for hours, tweaking tactics and watching emergent outcomes. That’s why studios like Hooded Horse have discovered a massive, hungry audience for premium strategy experiences." Within Firefly, the team balances multiple strategic bets. Besides publishing, they continue to develop traditional 2.5D isometric titles reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, as well as fully 3D projects like Stronghold 4.
The resurgence of pixel‑perfect isometric aesthetics has proven popular, but Tannahill cautions against over‑committing to any single style. "You want a diversified basket without loading too many eggs into one slot," he says. Wuselfaktory’s launch currently represents a single “egg” – Fool King – with the potential to add a few more titles over time. Since joining Devolver, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, and more projects are in development.
Third‑party publishing will be a long‑term goal, but it must fit within the studio’s capacity. "We won’t announce a label and then flood the market with three big releases at once; we can only spin so many plates," Tannahill admits. "Initially we’ll focus on smaller, manageable projects that suit our team size and keep the operation sustainable."