Firefly Studios, the developer behind the Stronghold series, has launched a strategy-focused publishing label named Wuselfaktory. The label was introduced earlier this year through the UKIE For One Night Only showcase with its first title, Fool King, developed by first-time studio Loot Donkey. The move places Firefly in a publishing role within the strategy category, which the studio describes as one of the most successful genres on Steam.<\/p>\n
Fool King is presented as a tactical autobattler with roguelike elements. Players construct and position an army before observing battles play out. It includes an asynchronous online component.<\/p>\n
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Firefly studio head Nick Tannahill said the shift into publishing is “like every other indie developer out there at the moment.” He added that the studio’s long experience in strategy gives it a strong position in a market proven by publishers such as Paradox and Hooded Horse.<\/p>\n
Wuselfaktory has more modest ambitions for both the number of games and their scope, according to the studio.<\/p>\n
For Fool King, Firefly is funding the title and supporting marketing. Parent company Devolver Digital provided a producer to assist with localisation and quality assurance. Tannahill said Firefly will look to handle those functions itself in future within its 50-person team.<\/p>\n
“We actually have a small publishing team already, which is why we’re able to do this, ” Tannahill said.<\/p>\n
Firefly has self-published since 2010. The studio already operates localisation, marketing, and publishing workflows, and maintains relationships with platform holders. Tannahill said a developer publisher can also offer practical development assistance.<\/p>\n
“One of the real benefits that developers can offer as a publisher is the fact that you’ve not only been on the other side of the table in terms of negotiations and relationships, but you can help them out with actual dev stuff, ” he said.<\/p>\n
Firefly maintains three online titles. Tannahill said the team has helped Loot Donkey with the online elements of Fool King’s asynchronous auto battler design, provided UI consultation, and delivered multiple rounds of feedback on the base game. He acknowledged that this support takes time from other projects, but said a single hour-long conversation can make another team’s project faster and smoother.<\/p>\n
The publishing move came at the suggestion of owner Devolver Digital, which acquired Firefly in late 2021. Tannahill said Devolver told the studio that it knows strategy, while Devolver does not, and suggested it enter that market.<\/p>\n
Firefly monitors upcoming strategy releases and discovered Fool King through an article in Rock Paper Shotgun, Tannahill said. He plays smaller titles for inspiration for the Stronghold series and saw opportunities to offer funding, guidance, or partnerships to developers who wanted them.<\/p>\n
Devolver lets Firefly lead sourcing and marketing because the studio has stronger connections to strategy press, content creators, audiences, and communities across sub-genres. Tannahill said<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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