Firefly, best known for the Stronghold series, has taken its next step into publishing by unveiling a new label dedicated to strategy games, called Wuselfaktory. The debut title under the imprint, Fool King, was showcased at UKIE’s For One Night Only event earlier this year. Fool King comes from first‑time developer Loot Donkey and bills itself as a "tactical autobattler" with a roguelike twist: players assemble and position their forces, then watch automated battles resolve. Nick Tannahill, studio head, admits that moving into publishing is a path many indie studios are currently exploring, but he believes Firefly’s long‑standing expertise in the strategy niche gives it a distinct advantage.
The market for strategy games on PC is one of the platform’s most reliable revenue generators, a space already dominated by veterans such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse. Wuselfaktory, however, intends to operate with more modest ambitions—fewer releases and a tighter scope—while still leveraging the deep knowledge Firefly has amassed over decades of building strategy titles. For Fool King, Firefly is providing development funding and marketing support, while its parent company Devolver 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, drawing on its existing 50‑person team.
"We already have a small publishing unit, which is why we can do this," he says. The studio’s experience in self‑publishing since 2010 means it already has established pipelines for localisation, marketing, and platform relations. More importantly, Firefly has spent decades crafting strategy experiences, allowing it to offer technical assistance to its partners.
"A publisher who has been on the other side of negotiations can also lend real development help," Tannahill explains. He cites concrete examples from the Fool King partnership: the team provided guidance on the game's online asynchronous battles, consulted on user‑interface design, and delivered multiple rounds of feedback on core gameplay. While such hands‑on support consumes time, Tannahill believes a brief, focused conversation can accelerate a project dramatically and smooth out later development hurdles. The decision to enter publishing was spurred by Devolver, which recognised its own limited experience in the lucrative strategy sector.
"We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021, and they essentially said, ‘You know strategy; we don’t. Why not lead that effort?’" Tannahill recounts.
The studio’s constant monitoring of emerging strategy titles also positioned it well to spot promising projects—though he humorously admits he first learned about Fool King from a Rock Paper Shotgun article. Tannahill draws inspiration for Stronghold from a wide array of smaller games on Steam, Itch.io, and other platforms, using them to keep his creative instincts fresh.
"When I play those indie titles, I see ideas that could benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnership," he says. Devolver is comfortable letting Firefly handle both sourcing and marketing because the latter lacks deep connections within the strategy community.
"They trust us to know which press outlets, content creators, and sub‑genre communities to engage with," Tannahill adds, emphasizing that strategy fans expect developers to speak their language. To stay close to its audience, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo, asking players about price expectations, desired features, and future game ideas. The responses—averaging around 6,000 per release—provide a robust data set that informs both design decisions and marketing strategies.
The studio was surprised to discover that its player base skews younger than anticipated, with a significant portion aged 18‑25. Consequently, Firefly targets the platforms and social channels where that demographic congregates, hoping to nurture a new generation of strategy enthusiasts. Tannahill observes that the strategy genre is both vast and under‑served. A quick glance at Steam’s most wish‑listed titles reveals a flood of strategy games, yet many classic franchises receive little attention.
He cites Command and Conquer as a personal favourite that has faded from mainstream relevance not because the intellectual property lacks appeal, but because few modern titles have revived its core concepts. In a gaming landscape where flashy, mass‑appeal genres like Roblox dominate and console sales face challenges, strategy remains a quietly powerful force on Steam. "It’s not the sexiest genre any more, but it’s consistently one of the platform’s top performers," Tannahill says.
Deep, systems‑driven games attract players who enjoy long, immersive sessions, tweaking variables and exploring emergent outcomes. This audience has recently drawn newcomers such as Hooded Horse, who discovered the untapped demand for high‑quality, complex titles.
Firefly’s own portfolio reflects a diversified approach within strategy. The studio produces retro‑style 2.5D isometric games reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, as well as fully 3D experiences like Stronghold 4. While the current wave of pixel‑perfect isometric aesthetics is popular, Tannahill cautions against over‑committing to any single trend.
"You want a varied basket of eggs, not just one type," he advises, noting that the team must balance ambition with the practical limits of a small development house. Wuselfaktory’s launch currently represents a single “egg” in that basket—Fool King—but the label aims to add more over time.
Since joining Devolver, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, with additional projects in the pipeline. Third‑party publishing will be part of the long‑term plan, but titles will need to fit within the studio’s existing schedule.
"We won’t announce a publishing label and then flood the market with three big releases at once; we can only spin so many plates," Tannahill explains. The focus will remain on smaller, manageable projects that align with the team’s capacity and ensure sustainable growth.