Firefly, the studio best known for the Stronghold series, has taken its next step in the games industry by launching a publishing arm dedicated to strategy games. The new label, called Wuselfaktory, was introduced at UKIE’s For One Night Only showcase earlier this year, where it also revealed its first published title, Fool King.
Fool King is the brainchild of first‑time developer Loot Donkey and is billed as a tactical autobattler with roguelike elements: players assemble and position their forces, then watch the combat resolve automatically. Nick Tannahill, the head of Firefly, says the decision to become a publisher mirrors a trend he sees among many indie studios. “Everyone is looking at publishing as a natural extension of what we already do,” he told GamesIndustry.biz.
Yet Firefly believes its long‑standing expertise in strategy gives it a distinct advantage in a genre that consistently ranks among the most lucrative on Steam. While heavyweight publishers such as Paradox Interactive and the newer Hooded Horse have already proven the market’s depth, Wuselfaktory intends to operate on a smaller scale, focusing on a limited slate of titles rather than attempting to rival the output of larger houses.
For Fool King, Firefly is providing the financial backing and marketing muscle, while its parent company Devolver has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that, as the label matures, the studio plans to bring those localisation and QA responsibilities in‑house, leveraging its existing 50‑person team.
“We already have a small publishing unit, which is why we can pull this off,” he explained. Firefly’s publishing capabilities are built on a decade of self‑publishing experience dating back to 2010. Over those years the studio has refined workflows for localisation, marketing, and distribution, and it has cultivated strong relationships with platform holders such as Steam.
More importantly, the company’s deep roots in strategy development mean it can offer practical development assistance beyond the usual publisher services. “We’ve been on the other side of the table negotiating deals, so we understand what developers need.
We can actually roll up our sleeves and help with design, UI, and even online architecture,” Tannahill said. In the case of Fool King, Firefly’s involvement has already included hands‑on consultations. The team has held calls with Loot Donkey to discuss the game’s asynchronous multiplayer component, offered UI advice, and provided multiple rounds of feedback on the core build.
While such support consumes time that could be spent on Firefly’s own projects, Tannahill argues that a brief, focused discussion can dramatically accelerate a partner’s development timeline, resulting in a smoother overall production. The move into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognized its own limited experience in the strategy niche.
“After Devolver acquired us in late 2021, they basically said, ‘You know strategy better than we do—why not take the lead?’” Tannahill recalled. 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, underscoring the importance of staying engaged with the community. Firefly’s leadership also draws inspiration from smaller games that spark ideas for future Stronghold entries.
“I regularly play bite‑size titles on Steam or itch.io to keep my brain fresh and to harvest concepts that could translate into larger projects,” he said. When he encounters a game he enjoys, he considers whether the developer could benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnership opportunities. Devolver has given Firefly autonomy over both sourcing and marketing, trusting the studio’s deeper knowledge of the strategy ecosystem. “Devolver isn’t as plugged into the strategy scene, so they rely on us to know which press outlets, content creators, and community hubs matter for each sub‑genre,” Tannahill explained.
That insight is crucial because strategy audiences expect publishers to speak their language. To stay close to players, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo it releases, asking respondents 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 both development and marketing decisions. The feedback has revealed a surprisingly youthful demographic: a significant portion of the audience falls between 18 and 25 years old.
Consequently, Firefly tailors its outreach to the platforms and social channels where younger gamers congregate, aiming to grow the IP and nurture a new generation of strategy enthusiasts. Tannahill believes the strategy genre is both massive and under‑served. “If you look at the top‑hundred wish‑listed games on Steam, many are strategy titles,” he noted. Yet classic franchises like Command and Conquer have faded from mainstream awareness, not because the intellectual property lacks appeal, but because few modern entries have been produced.
This gap represents an opportunity for studios willing to invest in high‑quality, systems‑driven experiences. He also observes that while flashy, mainstream genres such as battle‑royales or large‑scale live‑service games face increasing challenges, strategy remains a quietly dominant force on PC.
“It’s not the sexiest genre, but it’s one of the most successful on Steam. Players love sitting at their PCs for hours, tweaking tactics and watching emergent outcomes,” Tannahill said. The success of publishers like Hooded Horse, which recently entered the space, confirms that there is a sizable, dedicated audience hungry for deep, replayable titles. Internally, Firefly is spreading its bets across multiple strategy sub‑categories.
The studio continues to develop traditional 2.5D isometric games reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, while also working on fully 3D projects such as Stronghold 4. The current retro‑isometric aesthetic is popular, but the team remains cautious about over‑committing to any single trend. “You want a diversified basket, not all your eggs in one basket,” Tannahill warned. Wuselfaktory’s inaugural release, Fool King, is effectively that first egg.
Since the Devolver acquisition, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, with more on the horizon. Third‑party publishing will be part of the long‑term plan, but the studio acknowledges its capacity limits. “We can’t announce a label and immediately have three titles ready; we can only spin so many plates at once,” Tannahill concluded.
The initial focus will be on smaller, manageable projects that align with the team’s size and resources, ensuring sustainable growth for both the publishing arm and the studio’s core development work.