Firefly, the team behind the long‑running Stronghold franchise, has taken its first steps into publishing by unveiling a new label dedicated to strategy games, called Wuselfaktory. The debut title for the imprint, Fool King, was showcased at the UKIE For One Night Only event earlier this year. Fool King is the brainchild of first‑time developer Loot Donkey and bills itself as a tactical autobattler with roguelike elements: players assemble and position their forces, then sit back as the combat resolves automatically.
Nick Tannahill, studio head at Firefly, says the decision to become a publisher is "like every other indie developer out there at the moment," but he believes the studio’s deep roots in the strategy genre give it a unique advantage. While veteran publishers such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse have already proven the viability of strategy titles on PC, Firefly plans to operate on a smaller scale, both in terms of the number of releases and the overall scope of each project.
For Fool King, Firefly is providing the development funds and handling the marketing push, while its parent company Devolver has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that as the publishing arm matures, those responsibilities will gradually shift in‑house, leveraging the studio’s existing 50‑person team. "We already have a small publishing unit, which is why we can do this," he explains.
The studio has been self‑publishing since 2010, which means it already possesses a localisation pipeline, a marketing workflow, and established relationships with platform holders such as Steam. More importantly, Firefly has spent decades crafting and supporting strategy titles, giving it the capacity to provide hands‑on development assistance as well.
"One of the real benefits a publisher can bring is that we’ve been on the other side of negotiations and relationships, and we can also help with actual dev work," Tannahill says. Firefly’s support for Fool King goes beyond funding.
The label has offered the indie team guidance on user‑interface design, delivered multiple rounds of feedback on core gameplay, and provided access to its online infrastructure for the game’s asynchronous battles. "We have three online titles that we maintain; Fool King has an online component, so they can call our team and discuss those aspects," Tannahill notes. He acknowledges that this level of involvement consumes time that could be spent on internal projects, but argues that a brief, focused conversation can accelerate a partner’s development timeline dramatically. The push into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognized its own lack of experience in the lucrative strategy niche.
"We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021, and they basically said, ‘You know strategy, we don’t – why don’t you fill that gap?’" Tannahill recounts. The studio’s habit of monitoring emerging strategy games also positioned it well to spot promising titles. In fact, he first learned about Fool King through a Rock Paper Shotgun article rather than a formal scouting process.
Tannahill admits he regularly plays smaller, experimental strategy games on Steam and itch.io to keep his creative muscles limber. "I browse tiny titles for inspiration for the Stronghold series – anything that sparks an idea," he says.
This habit led him to recognise that many indie developers could benefit from funding, mentorship, and marketing support, which is precisely what Wuselfaktory aims to provide. Devolver is comfortable delegating both sourcing and promotional duties to Firefly because the latter has a much deeper understanding of the strategy community. "They don’t know the strategy space as well, so they trust us to handle press outreach, influencer relationships, and community engagement across the various sub‑genres," Tannahill explains.
He stresses that speaking the same language as strategy fans is crucial for success. To stay close to its audience, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo it releases, asking players how much they would pay, which features they’d like to see, and what future games they’d be interested in. "We get about 6,000 responses each time, which gives us a solid sample to guide our decisions," he adds. The data has revealed a surprisingly young demographic: a substantial portion of the label’s audience falls between 18 and 25 years old.
Consequently, the team focuses its outreach on the social platforms that resonate with that age group, hoping to funnel new players into the Stronghold IP and other upcoming titles. Tannahill believes the strategy genre is both massive and under‑served. He points out that a large share of the most wish‑listed games on Steam are strategy titles, yet many classic franchises have faded from the spotlight.
"My favourite game growing up was Command and Conquer, but it’s not relevant today not because the IP lacks appeal, but because no one has made a modern sequel," he observes. This gap presents an opportunity for publishers willing to invest in high‑quality, systems‑driven experiences.
Even as other genres face headwinds—Roblox’s explosive growth and a console market that feels a bit stagnant—strategy remains a quietly dominant force on Steam. "It’s not sexy any more, but it’s one of the most successful genres on the platform," Tannahill says. He argues that deep, replayable games that reward players for spending hours tweaking tactics and exploring emergent scenarios are perfectly suited to the PC audience.
This is why newer publishers like Hooded Horse have discovered a sizable market for premium strategy experiences. Firefly itself is diversifying within the genre.
The studio continues to develop traditional 2.5D isometric titles reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, while also working on fully 3D projects such as Stronghold 4. The current trend toward pixel‑perfect isometric graphics is strong, but Tannahill cautions against putting all of the studio’s eggs in one basket.
"You want to diversify, but you also don’t want to over‑extend," he says. Wuselfaktory’s inaugural release, Fool King, represents the first of what Firefly hopes will become a modest but steady stream of third‑party titles.
Since joining Devolver, the studio has shipped four games and six expansions, with more in development. However, the team is realistic about its capacity: "We can’t announce a publishing label and immediately have three titles ready because we can only spin so many plates," Tannahill admits.
The initial focus will be on smaller projects that fit comfortably within the studio’s existing workflow and resources. In summary, Firefly’s foray into publishing reflects a strategic move to leverage its long‑standing expertise in strategy games, fill a gap left by larger publishers, and nurture a younger, engaged community. By offering funding, development assistance, and targeted marketing, the Wuselfaktory label aims to become a trusted partner for indie developers looking to bring fresh, tactical experiences to the ever‑hungry Steam audience.