Firefly, the studio best known for the Stronghold series, has taken its next step into publishing by launching a strategy‑centric imprint called Wuselfaktory. The label’s first offering, Fool King, was unveiled at UKIE’s For One Night Only showcase earlier this year. Fool King is the brainchild of rookie developer Loot Donkey and markets itself as a tactical autobattler with roguelike elements, where players assemble and position their forces before the combat runs itself automatically. Nick Tannahill, the head of Firefly, told GamesIndustry.biz that moving into publishing feels "like every other indie studio right now," but he believes the company’s deep roots in strategy give it a unique advantage in a genre that consistently tops Steam’s sales charts.
While veteran publishers such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse have already proven the market’s viability, Wuselfaktory is aiming for a more modest scope—fewer titles and smaller projects—to start. For Fool King, Firefly is providing both funding and marketing support. Devolver, Firefly’s parent company, has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill noted that the studio plans to bring those localisation and QA responsibilities in‑house as its team of roughly 50 staff members expands.
"We already run a small publishing operation," he said, "so we have the capacity to do this." Firefly’s publishing experience dates back to 2010, when the studio began self‑publishing its own games. Over the years it has refined workflows for localisation, marketing, and platform relationships, and it has cultivated strong ties with the PC strategy community. This history also means the studio can offer development assistance, something Tannahill highlighted as a key benefit for indie partners.
"We’ve been on the other side of negotiations and relationships, so we can help developers with actual game‑making tasks as well," he explained. In practice, the support for Fool King has been hands‑on. Firefly’s team has consulted on the game’s user interface, provided multiple rounds of feedback on core mechanics, and even offered advice on its asynchronous online features. While such involvement diverts time from Firefly’s own projects, the studio views a single focused conversation as a worthwhile investment that can accelerate a partner’s development timeline and improve the final product.
The decision to branch into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognised its own lack of expertise in the lucrative strategy sector. "We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021," Tannahill recalled, "and they basically said, ‘You know strategy, we don’t, so why not lead that effort?’" This endorsement gave Firefly the confidence to scout promising titles, a process that led Tannahill to discover Fool King through a Rock Paper Shotgun article. Tannahill also spends time playing smaller strategy titles on Steam, Itch.io, and other platforms to keep his creative juices flowing.
"I play a lot of indie strategy games for inspiration for the Stronghold series," he said. "When I see a game I like, I think about how we could help it with funding, guidance, or partnerships." Devolver has allowed Firefly to take the reins on both sourcing and marketing because the parent company admits it lacks deep connections in the strategy community.
Firefly’s network includes press contacts, content creators, and niche audience groups across the many sub‑genres of strategy. Tannahill stressed that speaking the same language as the audience is essential in this space. To stay close to its player base, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo it releases, asking questions about pricing expectations, desired features, and future game ideas. "We get around 6,000 responses per survey," Tannahill noted, "which gives us a solid data set to inform our decisions." The data has revealed a surprisingly young demographic: a substantial portion of the audience falls between 18 and 25 years old.
Recognising this, Firefly targets the platforms and social channels where younger gamers congregate, aiming to draw fresh eyes to its IPs and to the broader strategy genre. Tannahill believes the strategy market is both massive and under‑served. He points out that many of the most wish‑listed titles on Steam belong to the genre, yet classic franchises like Command & Conquer have faded from mainstream awareness—not because the IPs lack appeal, but because few new entries have been released.
He sees this gap as an opportunity, especially as other high‑profile genres encounter headwinds. "Strategy isn’t the flashiest genre any more, but it quietly remains one of Steam’s most successful categories," he said. "While Roblox keeps expanding and console sales face challenges, Steam is uniquely positioned for deep, systems‑driven experiences that keep players at their PCs for hours, exploring emergent gameplay." Firefly’s own development pipeline reflects this diversity.
The studio continues to produce traditional 2.5D isometric titles reminiscent of early Command & Conquer and Age of Empires, while also working on fully 3D projects like Stronghold 4. The resurgence of pixel‑perfect isometric graphics is evident, but Tannahill cautions against putting all eggs in one basket. "You want a variety of bets without over‑committing to a single style," he explained. Wuselfaktory currently represents just one published title—Fool King—but the label is designed to grow incrementally.
Since joining Devolver, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, with more in development. Third‑party publishing will be part of the long‑term plan, yet the studio acknowledges its limited capacity. "We won’t announce a publishing label and then flood the market with three big releases," Tannahill said. "We’ll start with smaller projects that fit our team’s size and keep the operation sustainable." In summary, Firefly’s foray into publishing under the Wuselfaktory banner leverages its long‑standing strategy pedigree, established workflows, and close ties to a passionate, youthful community.
By supporting indie developers like Loot Donkey with funding, marketing, localisation, and hands‑on development advice, the studio hopes to enrich the strategy ecosystem on Steam while maintaining a manageable, diversified portfolio of both first‑party and third‑party titles.