We have just released our first post-launch Stronghold community Q&A, covering both Stronghold: Warlords and other past, present and future titles in the series. Today Nick runs a gauntlet of both our most common post-release questions and a series of dastardly challenges, posed by resident Firefly Videographer and celebrity chef Aaron Hayden. So if you’ve ever wanted to see us inhale a bowl of spicy noodles, draw fellow Firefly staff or impersonate classic Stronghold characters then boy we do have the video for you! As always please enjoy watching us embarrass ourselves while simultaneously answering your questions about the future of Firefly, Warlords and the Stronghold series.

Got a question not featured in today’s post-release Q&A? Worry not! We’ve taken the liberty of including all other community questions (to which we currently have answers) in the video’s description, to ensure no voice goes unheard. If you have further questions having watched today’s video then please head over to the official Stronghold Discord, where developers and fellow players will be happy to discuss the series. You can also sign up to the Firefly Studios newsletter for the latest Stronghold news and inclusion in other initiatives such as player surveys, giveaways and beta invites. Continue reading →

While we finalize our v1.3 update and first DLC ‘The Art of War Campaign’, both coming to Stronghold: Warlords on May 18th, we’re taking some time to dive into the complex history of skirmishes and battles surrounding its protagonist Sun Tzu. So to ensure you’re the most studied strategist out there before loading up the new six mission historical campaign (or diving into our upcoming free map pack) please enjoy this crash course in ancient Chinese history!

Our tale begins with the inception of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period, running all the way through to the epic Battle of Boju. Sun Tzu was not only one of the most fascinating (and controversial!) figures of Chinese warfare, but also the supposed author of a military strategy guide which has survived and enduring through the ages. Our new DLC is based on his operations within the war of states Wu and Chu and related exploits worthy of digital recreation. After all who says you can’t learn some exciting world history alongside optimisations, new maps and quality of life updates for your games? Continue reading →

Today Stronghold: Warlords gets its first major content release with the Sun Tzu v1.2 Update! Adding requested features such as a new AI opponent, AI invasions in Free Build mode, a new Free Build map, general fixes and AI improvements, this update is now available to all players on Steam and GOG.

The introduction of new AI is something we’re excited about and we’re kicking things off with none other than Sun Tzu. The master tactician was an easy choice for us post-launch and, coupled with recent improvements to the AI, one we’re excited to put in the hands of players. Initial testing puts Sun Tzu at the higher end of the difficulty scale, particularly when combined with the newer Extreme difficulty option and other tweaks possible in skirmish mode. So when going up against this fiendish AI remember to move fast and seize control of the battlefield! Continue reading →

We have released our first update for Stronghold: Warlords (v1.1) adding an extreme difficulty mode, increased troop limits, a new map, AI improvements, balance changes and bug fixes. We have also revealed the first part of Warlords’ post-release content roadmap, which introduces new a AI character and playable unit, as well as extra single player missions and warlords. This first phase in our overall roadmap of updates for Warlords covers the spring and early summer period. We have additional smaller patches planned and more to come in the second half of the year, however everything covered in this announcement will be added to the game free for all players.

Firefly Studios’ content roadmap for the game is divided into two separate tracks, titled minor and major updates. Minor updates, starting with v1.1 and the addition of Extreme Difficulty and numerous AI improvements, will be aimed at improving core gameplay and adding smaller features. Later on players can expect further AI updates, stability improvements, more maps, fixes, quality of life features and series staple features, such as controllable AI invasions in Free Build mode. Continue reading →

Fans of building, besieging and ‘wuselfaktor’ rejoice! The latest entry in our almost 20 year old ‘castle sim’ series, Stronghold: Warlords is now available on Steam, GOG, Humble and other online retailers. Today we celebrate the game’s long awaited release with a final launch trailer featuring fresh gameplay, the full campaign map and a story preview narrated by the talented Rae Lim.

Including a 31 mission campaign with conflicts and sieges ranging from 300 BC China to 16th century Japan, Stronghold: Warlords both covers a wide historical period and (more importantly) introduces gunpowder to the series for the first time! Introducing legendary figures like Genghis Khan and lesser known rulers such as Thuc Phan, Warlords is designed to build on everything players know and love about Stronghold in an all new setting. Warlords has something for all Stronghold fans, whether you enjoy a single player campaign, unlimited castle building freedom in Free Build mode, offline skirmish or online multiplayer with friends and AI. The game comes complete with everything you expect from a mainline entry in the series, in addition to brand new gunpowder fuelled units, siege weapons and returning favourites like Siege Towers and Horse Archers. Continue reading →

With less than two weeks to go before the worldwide launch of Stronghold: Warlords, we thought it would it would be entertaining to give our developers a blind castle-building challenge! Tasked with building the ultimate castle in under 30 minutes, four Firefly devs are challenged (and judged!) on their time-limited castle building skills in this new video.

Paul, Aaron, Tom and Nick all begin on a new map with little to no preparation and a single objective: Build the ultimate castle! They must do so on the ‘Jungle Clearing’ medium-sized map within the time limit, with their creations judged by none other than Firefly Studios co-founder and Stronghold designer Simon Bradbury. These hastily-constructed castles are rigorously graded based on their castle aesthetics, economic efficiency and of course defensive strength. The series *is* called ‘Stronghold’ after all… Continue reading →

While new gameplay footage is coming later this week, today we’re releasing our third and final ‘Making Of Stronghold: Warlords’ teaser. Today’s video is centred around the reveal of Stronghold: Warlords, which took place way back in June 2019. Featuring a snippet of what you can expect from the full documentary at launch, this quick look shows Paul and Simon discussing what goes into revealing a game to the press, as well as including a few behind the scenes E3 clips!

Available at launch as part of Stronghold: Warlords – Special Edition, this feature-length documentary takes a look behind the scenes with over two years of game development at Firefly Studios. Unpacking the complex process of creating a modern strategy/sim hybrid on PC, the documentary is designed to provide insight into these unique genres for those curious about their creation. Continue reading →

While we prepare new gameplay previews for the coming weeks, today we’re releasing a second short ‘Making Of Stronghold: Warlords‘ teaser video. Today’s preview discusses voice acting and the fine balancing act between historical authenticity, great performances and our Stronghold-style humour. In addition to planned support for 15 languages, we also made the decision quite early on to support audio in eight languages, as well as snippets of other languages for specific units. Music and sound design are so important to the Stronghold series that it felt necessary to include in the game and we hope it’s something enjoyed by players worldwide at launch!

Available at launch as part of Stronghold: Warlords – Special Edition, this feature-length documentary takes a look behind the scenes with over two years of game development at Firefly Studios. Unpacking the complex process of creating a modern strategy/sim hybrid on PC, the documentary is designed to provide insight into these unique genres for those curious about their creation. Continue reading →

Today we have a short and sweet video for you in the form of our first ‘Teaser‘ for the ‘Making Of Stronghold: Warlords‘ documentary. Available at launch as part of Warlord’s Special Edition, this feature-length documentary takes a look behind the scenes with over two years of game development at Firefly Studios. Charting the course of Warlords’ development from production to reveal and eventually release, Firefly’s very own Aaron Hayden takes viewers through each aspect of game production.

Unpacking the complex process of creating a modern strategy/sim hybrid on PC, the documentary is designed to provide insight into these unique genres for those curious about their creation. This teaser provides a glimpse of our concept, writing and research for the game. These building blocks form the basis of our design for a new Stronghold title and Warlords’ new setting provided fertile ground for both our gameplay and historical goals!

The Special Edition will be available at launch on Steam for $49.99, £34.99 and €39.99, with the base game also available without the above extras for $39.99, £29.99 and €34.99.

This week we thought we’d take a break between the countless player questions about Stronghold: Warlords (Join the Discord if you have more!) and co-op multiplayer previews for a chance of pace. Warlords features a whopping 16 units and 10 siege weapons, in addition to many different castle defences and other special units like the warlords themselves. This got us thinking… Just how many ways are there for soldiers, peasants, monks and innocent diplomats to die in the game?

It turns out the answer to that question is at least 22! That’s right. We counted 22 unique means by which these virtual lives can be snuffed out in an instant (Not Pictured: Death by flooding). So what better way to celebrate this digital carnage than with a montage of death and destruction? Set to the tune of the William Tell Overture by Rossini, watch as our Videographer Aaron Hayden cuts, crushes, incinerates and obliterates his peasant population in the name of your entertainment. Continue reading →