Firefly, the team behind the acclaimed Stronghold series, has taken a decisive step into publishing by unveiling a new strategy‑centric label called Wuselfaktory. The label made its public debut at the UKIE For One Night Only showcase earlier this year, where it presented its first publishing effort: Fool King, a tactical auto‑battler with roguelike elements developed by the newcomer studio Loot Donkey.
In Fool King, players assemble and arrange units on a battlefield and then watch the combat resolve automatically, blending strategic planning with the unpredictable twists typical of roguelikes. Studio head Nick Tannahill told GamesIndustry.biz that the decision to become a publisher mirrors a broader trend among indie developers who are looking to diversify their revenue streams. However, he emphasized that Firefly’s deep roots in the strategy genre give it a unique advantage.
"We have spent years building and supporting strategy titles, so we understand the expectations of both developers and players," he said. Wuselfaktory therefore joins a lineage of successful strategy publishers such as Paradox Interactive and the newer Hooded Horse, though Firefly aims for a more modest output in terms of both scale and the number of releases. For the launch title Fool King, Firefly is providing the financial backing and marketing push, while its parent company Devolver has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill noted that as the publishing arm matures, the studio intends to bring those localisation and QA responsibilities in‑house, leveraging its existing team of about 50 employees.
"We already run a small publishing unit, which is why we can take on this role without overextending ourselves," he explained. The studio’s experience as a self‑publisher dates back to 2010, giving it a mature pipeline for localisation, marketing, and platform relationships. More importantly, Firefly’s decades‑long focus on strategy games equips it to offer hands‑on development assistance as well.
"Being a publisher means you can sit at the negotiation table, but you can also roll up your sleeves and help with actual development challenges," Tannahill said. In practice, that support has already materialised for Loot Donkey. Firefly’s publishing team has consulted on user‑interface design, provided multiple rounds of feedback on core gameplay, and even offered guidance on the game’s asynchronous online component. "A single hour‑long call can accelerate a project dramatically and smooth out issues that might otherwise take weeks to resolve," Tannahill observed, acknowledging that such involvement does pull resources away from other internal projects.
The move into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognised its own limited experience in the lucrative strategy market. "We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021, and they basically said, ‘You know strategy inside out, we don’t.
Why don’t you fill that gap for us?’" Tannahill recounted. The studio’s constant monitoring of upcoming strategy titles also positioned it to spot promising candidates; in fact, Tannahill discovered Fool King after reading a piece in Rock Paper Shotgun. Tannahill explained that he regularly plays smaller strategy games on platforms such as Steam and itch.io to keep his creative juices flowing for future Stronghold entries. "Those bite‑sized experiences spark ideas and show me where the market is heading," he said.
When he encounters a game he enjoys, he considers whether the developer might benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnership opportunities that Firefly can provide. Devolver has given Firefly autonomy over both the scouting and the promotional side of publishing.
"Devolver admits they aren’t as plugged into the strategy community, so they rely on us to know which press outlets, content creators, and niche forums matter for each sub‑genre," Tannahill explained. This knowledge is crucial because strategy fans expect a publisher to speak their language and understand the intricate mechanics they cherish. To stay in touch with that audience, Firefly employs a simple yet effective feedback loop: surveys embedded in demo builds. Players are asked how much they would be willing to pay, which features they’d like to see, and what future games they’d prefer.
"We’ve run that for three titles now and get roughly 6,000 responses each time, which gives us a solid data set to steer our decisions," Tannahill noted. The data has revealed a surprisingly youthful demographic for strategy games. While the genre is often associated with veteran gamers, the studio’s surveys show a strong contingent of 18‑ to 25‑year‑olds. "We meet younger players where they hang out—on the social platforms they use—so we can keep drawing fresh eyes to our IPs and to the broader strategy ecosystem," he added.
Tannahill also highlighted the sheer breadth of the strategy category, which spans dozens of sub‑genres and dominates the wish‑lists of the top‑hundred games on Steam. Yet, classic franchises like Command & Conquer have faded from mainstream awareness, not because the intellectual property lacks appeal, but because few new entries have been produced. "There’s a real opportunity to revive those beloved series or to create new high‑quality experiences that satisfy a hungry audience," he said.
In an industry where flashy, fast‑paced genres such as battle‑royale or sandbox titles like Roblox dominate headlines, strategy remains a quiet powerhouse on Steam. "It’s not the sexiest genre anymore, but it consistently ranks among the most successful on the platform," Tannahill observed. He believes that deep, systems‑driven games—where players can spend hours tinkering with tactics and watching emergent outcomes—will continue to thrive on PC, especially as console markets face their own challenges.
Firefly’s own development slate reflects a balanced mix of old‑school 2.5D isometric titles reminiscent of early Command & Conquer or Age of Empires, alongside fully 3D projects like Stronghold 4. The studio acknowledges that trends can shift; the current popularity of pixel‑perfect isometric art may wane, so it aims to diversify its portfolio rather than put all its eggs in a single basket. At present, Wuselfaktory’s portfolio consists of just the one title, Fool King, but the studio envisions adding a few more modest releases over time.
Since joining Devolver, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, with additional projects in the pipeline. While third‑party publishing is part of the long‑term plan, the team will integrate new titles into its schedule as capacity allows.
"We won’t announce a publishing line and then overpromise—we can only spin so many plates at once," Tannahill concluded. "We’ll start with smaller projects, keep our teams lean, and make sure the operation remains sustainable."