This week on ‘Stronghold & Chill’ we interview resident 3D Artist Andreas Lostromos about his work on Stronghold Next, Stronghold Crusader 2 and MetaMorph: Dungeon Creatures. Learn more about the different aspects of 3D animation, modelling and art that make up the overall visual style of our medieval castle series, as well as how to become one in the first place! Whether you’re aiming to learn what music Firefly devs listen to while creating our titles or simply looking for some career advice, ‘Stronghold & Chill’ has you covered. This ongoing series bring the developers at Firefly and its community closer together, so make sure you’re subscribed to us on YouTube to catch each new episode!

Stronghold’s characters have always been a mainstay in the castle sim series and one of our most beloved aspects of the games. Whether it’s The Rat, Pig, Snake or Wolf, you know your Stronghold session is bound to be full of boisterous personalities and over the top dialogue. So have you ever wondered how these individuals were conjured into the virtual worlds of our medieval RTS games? Or why?! Then let Aaron take you on a game dev adventure giving context to the figurative medieval children of Firefly co-founders Simon Bradbury and Eric Ouellette!

Looking for new info on Stronghold Next? Maybe an excellent Crusader 2 skirmish map? What about a heavy metal remix of one of the classic jams from the Stronghold soundtrack? Well have we got good news for you, all that and more in this brand new YouTube-exclusive episode of the ‘Community Spotlight’!

• MAP – ‘Volcanic Island‘ by BiturExpress
• VIDEO – ‘Stronghold Goes Metal – Castle Jam Cover‘ by Aneurysm
• CREATOR – GamerZakh

As always we highlight some gems from you guys in the Stronghold community whilst answering some lingering questions about all our titles, from the ‘OG’s of the series all the way to our newest chapter: Stronghold Next. If you would like to feature in an upcoming episode make sure you click the link below to sign up to the Official Stronghold Facebook Group where we will ask for submissions!

Ever wondered what truly Top Tier Stronghold gameplay looks like? We’ll you’re probably not in the right place for that… If it’s humour and behind-the-scenes banter with the community however then boy do we have the series for YOU. Introducing our first ‘Best Of’ compilation created from our first nine Firefly Friday weekly streams.

Watch and laugh (with us) as our intrepid developers showcase their castle building prowess and besieging tactics in a dizzying array of Stronghold playthroughs. Each week we take a new Stronghold title or game mode, pitting our developers against the AI or each other in a fight to the finish. Watch as everything from economic war and free build challenges to impromptu dragon duels and deathmatch tear our developers apart for your viewing pleasure!

While work continues behind-the-scenes on the Stronghold Next gameplay reveal, we take a look back at our legacy and the history that inspired it in a brand new series exclusive to the Firefly Studios YouTube channel. Introducing the ‘Inspirations Behind Stronghold’! In our first episode of this new series we explore the annals of yesteryear and explore the history of classic Stronghold units you’ve commanded on the battlefield since 2001.

What were the origins of the crossbow? How did you become a Knight? Were ‘Warrior Monks’ actually a thing? All these questions and more are answered in our first episode! As this is a completely new series produced in the midst of pre-production for the Next gameplay reveal, we’d love to hear your feedback! If you want a particular area of the Stronghold series covered next, be it siege equipment, castles or the Lords themselves, be sure to comment below to let us know.