Firefly, best known for its Stronghold series, has taken the next step in its evolution by entering the publishing arena. The company unveiled a new label, Wuselfaktory, dedicated to strategy games, and introduced its inaugural title, Fool King, during the UKIE "For One Night Only" showcase earlier this year.
Fool King, developed by the newcomer Loot Donkey, markets itself as a "tactical autobattler" with roguelike elements: players assemble and position their forces, then watch the combat resolve automatically. Studio head Nick Tannahill tells GamesIndustry.biz that moving into publishing feels "like every other indie developer right now," but he believes Firefly’s deep roots in strategy give it a unique advantage. The genre has long been a powerhouse on PC, with heavyweight publishers such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse proving its commercial viability. Wuselfaktory, however, aims for a more modest scope—fewer titles, smaller budgets—while still leveraging Firefly’s expertise.
For Fool King, Firefly is providing development funding and marketing support. Devolver, Firefly’s parent company, has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that as the label matures, the studio plans to bring those responsibilities in‑house, drawing on its existing 50‑person team.
"We already have a small publishing crew, which is why we can do this," he explains. Firefly’s experience as a self‑publisher since 2010 means it already runs localisation pipelines, marketing campaigns, and publisher relationships. More importantly, the studio has spent decades crafting strategy experiences, allowing it to offer hands‑on development assistance as well.
"One of the real benefits a publisher can provide is that we’ve been on the other side of negotiations and relationships, and we can also help with actual dev work," Tannahill says. The support for Fool King illustrates that approach.
The game includes an asynchronous online component, so Firefly’s team holds regular calls with the developers to discuss networking, UI design, and overall gameplay balance. They have delivered multiple rounds of feedback on the core build. While such involvement diverts time from Firefly’s own projects, Tannahill argues that a brief, focused conversation can accelerate the partner’s progress dramatically. The decision to launch a publishing arm came at Devolver’s suggestion.
After acquiring Firefly in late 2021, Devolver recognised its own lack of experience in the lucrative strategy sector. "They told us, ‘You know strategy, we don’t—why don’t you lead that space?’" Tannahill recalls. The studio’s constant monitoring of upcoming strategy releases positioned it well to spot promising indie projects; in fact, Tannahill first learned about Fool King through a Rock Paper Shotgun article. Playing smaller titles 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 to harvest ideas," he says. When he encounters a game he enjoys, he considers whether it could benefit from funding, guidance, or partnership. Devolver is comfortable handing over sourcing and marketing duties to Firefly because the latter has stronger connections within the strategy community.
"Devolver doesn’t know the strategy space as well, so they trust us to talk to the press, influencers, and niche sub‑genre audiences," Tannahill notes. In a genre where the audience expects developers to speak its language, those relationships are essential. Firefly maintains close contact with its fans through a practice that might seem simple but is surprisingly effective: embedding surveys in every demo.
Players are asked how much they’d pay, which features they’d like, and what future games they’d enjoy. Over three titles, the studio has collected roughly 6,000 responses per survey, providing a robust data set that shapes design decisions and marketing strategies.
The data has revealed an unexpected demographic trend: the strategy audience skews younger than the studio anticipated, with a sizable chunk aged 18‑25. Consequently, Firefly tailors its outreach to the platforms and social channels that resonate with that cohort, aiming to draw fresh players into its IPs and the broader strategy ecosystem. Tannahill sees the strategy genre as both massive and under‑served.
"If you look at the top‑hundred wish‑listed games on Steam, many are strategy titles," he observes. Yet classic franchises such as Command and Conquer have faded from the spotlight, not because the IP lacks appeal but because few new entries have been produced. This gap represents an opportunity, especially as other popular genres encounter headwinds. "Strategy isn’t sexy any more, but it quietly dominates Steam," Tannahill asserts.
While platforms like Roblox expand and console sales face challenges, Steam remains a strong home for deep, systems‑driven experiences that reward long play sessions and emergent gameplay. Publishers like Hooded Horse have recently discovered the size of this audience, confirming that high‑quality strategy games still have a hungry market.
Within Firefly, the strategy focus manifests in several ways. The studio continues to publish its own titles, ranging from nostalgic 2.5D isometric games reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, to fully 3D projects like Stronghold 4. The resurgence of pixel‑perfect isometric aesthetics is evident, but Tannahill cautions against putting all eggs in one basket, noting the need for diversification as tastes evolve. Wuselfaktory currently represents a single small “egg” in that basket—Fool King—but the label aims to add a few more over time.
Since joining Devolver, Firefly has released four games and six expansions, with additional projects in development. Third‑party publishing will be part of the long‑term plan, but it must fit within the studio’s capacity.
"We can’t announce a label and instantly have three titles ready; we can only spin so many plates," Tannahill explains. "We’ll start with smaller projects, work in tight teams, and keep it sustainable—that’s the priority."