Firefly, the studio behind the acclaimed Stronghold series, has taken its first steps into publishing by unveiling a new label dedicated to strategy games, called Wuselfaktory. The debut title under this banner, Fool King, was showcased at UKIE’s "For One Night Only" event earlier this year.
Fool King comes from Loot Donkey, a newcomer to development, and bills 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, acknowledges that many indie studios are now exploring publishing as a natural extension of their work. He argues, however, that Firefly’s long‑standing expertise in the strategy niche gives it a distinct advantage. The label joins a lineage of successful strategy publishers such as Paradox Interactive and the newer Hooded Horse, but it aims for a more modest output in terms of both scale and the number of releases.
For Fool King, Firefly is providing the development funding and handling the marketing push, while its parent company Devolver has supplied a producer to oversee localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill notes that the studio plans to bring those localisation and QA responsibilities in‑house as its team of roughly fifty staff members expands. “We already run a small publishing operation, which is why we can do this,” he says. Firefly has been self‑publishing its own titles since 2010, so it has established pipelines for localisation, marketing, and distribution, as well as solid relationships with platform holders.
More importantly, the studio has spent decades crafting and supporting strategy games, meaning it can also offer hands‑on development assistance. “One of the real benefits a publisher can bring is that we’ve sat on the other side of the table during negotiations and we understand the process, but we can also help with actual development tasks,” Tannahill explains.
The support provided to Loot Donkey has been extensive. Firefly’s team has consulted on user‑interface design, delivered multiple rounds of feedback on core gameplay, and offered guidance on the game’s asynchronous multiplayer component. While such involvement consumes time that could be spent on internal projects, Tannahill believes a brief, focused conversation can accelerate a partner’s progress dramatically. The decision to move into publishing was encouraged by Devolver, which recognised its own gaps in the lucrative strategy segment.
“We were acquired by Devolver in late 2021,” Tannahill recalls. “They basically said, ‘You know strategy inside and out; we don’t, so why not lead that effort?’" The studio’s constant monitoring of upcoming strategy titles positioned it perfectly to spot promising indie projects—Tannahill even discovered Fool King through a Rock Paper Shotgun article.
Tannahill admits he regularly plays smaller strategy games on Steam, Itch.io, and other platforms to keep his creative juices flowing for future Stronghold installments. “I love digging into these niche titles because they spark ideas and could benefit from funding, mentorship, or partnerships if they’re interested,” he says.
Devolver is comfortable handing over sourcing and marketing duties to Firefly, trusting the studio’s deep connections with the strategy community. "They don’t have the same network of press contacts, content creators, and sub‑genre communities that we do," Tannahill notes. "In a genre like strategy, you have to speak the language of the audience." To stay close to players, Firefly embeds short surveys into every demo it releases, asking respondents about price expectations, desired features, and future game ideas.
The studio typically receives around 6,000 replies per survey, providing a robust data set that informs both development and marketing decisions. This feedback loop has revealed a surprisingly youthful demographic: a sizable portion of the audience falls between 18 and 25 years old.
Firefly now targets those players on the social platforms they frequent, aiming to grow its intellectual property and studio reputation among younger gamers. Tannahill sees the strategy genre as both massive and under‑served. He points out that many of the top‑wishlisted games on Steam are strategy titles, yet classic franchises like Command and Conquer receive little new attention. "My favourite childhood game was Command and Conquer, and it’s not relevant today not because the IP has lost its appeal, but because no recent games have refreshed it," he observes.
He believes 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 says.
"While Roblox keeps expanding and consoles face challenges, Steam remains a strong platform for deep, systems‑driven experiences that let players spend hours tweaking scenarios and watching emergent gameplay. That’s why studios like Hooded Horse have discovered a huge, eager audience for high‑quality strategy games." Firefly’s own portfolio reflects a broad strategy focus: it publishes 2.5‑D isometric titles reminiscent of early Command and Conquer or Age of Empires, as well as fully 3D projects such as Stronghold 4.
The studio acknowledges the current popularity of retro‑style pixel graphics but cautions against over‑committing to any single aesthetic. "You want to diversify your basket without loading too many eggs into one slot," he says. Wuselfaktory currently has only Fool King in its catalogue, but the label is poised to add a few more modest‑sized releases over time. Since joining Devolver, Firefly has shipped four games and six expansions, with additional projects in development.
Third‑party publishing will be part of the long‑term plan, but Tannahill stresses that the studio must fit new titles into its existing schedule. "We won’t announce a publishing label and then flood the market with three big games at once—we can only spin so many plates," he explains. "We’ll start with smaller titles, work in tight‑knit teams, and keep the operation sustainable.
That’s the most important thing."