Firefly, best known for the Stronghold series, has taken its next step in the games industry by establishing a publishing label dedicated to strategy games. The new imprint, called Wuselfaktory, was unveiled at the UKIE "For One Night Only" showcase earlier this year, where it also introduced its first external title, Fool King.
Developed by the rookie studio Loot Donkey, Fool King markets itself as a tactical autobattler with a roguelike twist: players assemble and position their forces, then watch the combat unfold automatically. Nick Tannahill, the head of Firefly, says the decision to move into publishing mirrors a trend he sees among many indie developers today. "Everyone’s trying to wear multiple hats," he told GamesIndustry.biz, but he believes Firefly’s deep roots in strategy give it a distinct advantage. While giants such as Paradox Interactive and newer entrants like Hooded Horse have already proven the viability of a strategy‑centric catalogue, Wuselfaktory aims to operate on a smaller scale, focusing on fewer projects with modest budgets.
For the launch title, Firefly is providing financial backing and marketing support, while its parent company Devolver has assigned a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that, as the label matures, Firefly intends 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 experience as a self‑publisher dates back to 2010, giving it a well‑honed workflow for localisation, marketing, and platform relations.
More importantly, the studio has spent decades crafting strategy titles, meaning it can also lend development assistance to its partners. "A publisher who has walked the same path can offer real‑world development guidance, not just negotiation power," Tannahill said.
In the case of Fool King, Firefly has been hands‑on. The label maintains three online titles and, because Fool King features an asynchronous auto‑battler mode, the developers can schedule calls with Firefly’s team to discuss technical implementation, UI design, and overall gameplay balance. "A single hour‑long conversation can accelerate a project dramatically and smooth out potential pitfalls," Tannahill observed, acknowledging that this level of support does divert resources from Firefly’s own internal projects. The push into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognised its own gaps in the lucrative strategy sector.
"We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021," Tannahill recalled, "and they basically said, ‘You know strategy inside‑out; we don’t, so why don’t you lead that effort?’" This endorsement aligns with Firefly’s habit of scouting promising indie strategy games. In fact, Tannahill discovered Fool King after reading a feature on Rock Paper Shotgun, underscoring how the studio stays attuned to emerging titles across Steam, itch.io, and other platforms. Playing smaller games also serves as creative fuel for Firefly’s own Stronghold franchise. "I regularly dive into bite‑size strategy experiences to keep my brain fresh and to harvest fresh ideas," Tannahill said.
When he encounters a game he likes, he thinks about how it could benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnership opportunities. Devolver trusts Firefly to handle both talent acquisition and marketing because the latter lacks deep connections in the strategy community. "They know we have the relationships with press, content creators, and the niche sub‑communities that make up the strategy audience," Tannahill explained.
In a genre where the player base expects developers to speak its language, those connections are essential. Firefly maintains a close dialogue with its audience through a practice that might sound odd but proves effective: every demo includes a short survey asking players how much they’d be willing to pay, which features they’d like, and what future games they’d enjoy.
The studio has run this on three separate titles, gathering roughly 6,000 responses each time. The data not only informs design decisions but also reveals surprising demographics. "Our audience skews younger than we imagined—lots of 18‑ to 25‑year‑olds—so we meet them where they hang out, on the right social platforms," Tannahill said.
The strategy genre, according to Tannahill, is massive yet under‑served. A quick glance at Steam’s most wish‑listed titles shows a flood of strategy games, many of which never receive the polish or marketing push they deserve. Classic franchises like Command & Conquer have faded not because the intellectual property lacks appeal, but because few new entries have been produced. This gap represents an opportunity, especially as other high‑profile genres encounter headwinds.
"Strategy isn’t the flashiest genre any more, but it quietly dominates Steam’s sales," Tannahill asserted. While platforms like Roblox expand rapidly and console sales face challenges, Steam remains a strong home for deep, systems‑driven experiences that reward long play sessions and emergent gameplay. The success of studios such as Hooded Horse demonstrates that there is a sizable, hungry audience for high‑quality strategy titles.
Firefly’s own development slate reflects a diversified approach within the genre. The studio continues to publish classic‑style 2.5D isometric games reminiscent of early Command & Conquer or Age of Empires, while also delivering fully 3D experiences like Stronghold 4.
The resurgence of pixel‑perfect isometric aesthetics is evident, but Tannahill cautions against putting all eggs in one basket. "You want to diversify your portfolio so you’re not overly exposed to a single style that might fall out of favour," he noted.
Wuselfaktory, for now, represents a single small project—Fool King—but the label intends to add more titles gradually. Since joining Devolver, Firefly has released four games and six expansions, with additional projects in development. Third‑party publishing is part of the long‑term vision, yet the studio acknowledges its capacity limits.
"We won’t announce a publishing arm and then flood the market with three big releases at once; we can only spin so many plates," Tannahill said. "We’ll start with smaller, manageable titles, keep the workload sustainable, and grow from there."