Firefly Studios: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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Firefly Studios was established in 1999 by Bradbury and Ouellette, who knew each other through their time at [[Impressions Games]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=About us: Strategy gaming since 1999|url=https://fireflyworlds.com/about-us/|url-status=live|access-date=4 August 2021|website=Firefly Studios}}</ref> Their first title, ''[[Stronghold (2001 video game)|Stronghold]]'' |
Firefly Studios was established in 1999 by Bradbury and Ouellette, who knew each other through their time at [[Impressions Games]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=About us: Strategy gaming since 1999|url=https://fireflyworlds.com/about-us/|url-status=live|access-date=4 August 2021|website=Firefly Studios}}</ref> Their first title, ''[[Stronghold (2001 video game)|Stronghold]]'' released in 2001, was successful both critically and commercially.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/stronghold/ stronghold meta score]</ref> |
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The company has, however, struggled to recreate the popularity of its original ''Stronghold'' and ''Stronghold: Crusader'' titles. The ''[[Stronghold 2]]'' and ''[[Stronghold Legends]]'' titles released in 2005 and 2006 were both reviewed poorly and received Metacritic scores of 63%<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/stronghold2 stronghold 2 meta score]</ref> and 57% respectively.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/strongholdlegends/ stronghold legends meta score]</ref> More recently, the last of the series, ''[[Stronghold: Crusader Extreme]]'', received the worst reviews to date, with an average of 40% scores.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/strongholdcrusaderextreme crusader extreme meta score]</ref> Around this time, the studio began a collaboration with [[Firaxis Games]] that produced ''[[CivCity: Rome]], a'' title that also reviewed poorly,<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/civcityrome civcity:rome meta score]</ref> and was in fact the last Firefly title published by [[Take-Two Interactive]]. |
The company has, however, struggled to recreate the popularity of its original ''Stronghold'' and ''Stronghold: Crusader'' titles. The ''[[Stronghold 2]]'' and ''[[Stronghold Legends]]'' titles released in 2005 and 2006 were both reviewed poorly and received Metacritic scores of 63%<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/stronghold2 stronghold 2 meta score]</ref> and 57% respectively.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/strongholdlegends/ stronghold legends meta score]</ref> More recently, the last of the series, ''[[Stronghold: Crusader Extreme]]'', received the worst reviews to date, with an average of 40% scores.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/strongholdcrusaderextreme crusader extreme meta score]</ref> Around this time, the studio began a collaboration with [[Firaxis Games]] that produced ''[[CivCity: Rome]], a'' title that also reviewed poorly,<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/civcityrome civcity:rome meta score]</ref> and was, in fact, the last Firefly title published by [[Take-Two Interactive]]. |
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In 2008, Firefly stated that they would be working on ''Stronghold 3'' followed by ''Crusader II'' in their schedule due to the high demand by fans. The studio eventually cancelled the release of the planned ''Dungeon Hero'' title around this time. In 2009, when asked if they had any other unannounced game in development |
In 2008, Firefly stated that they would be working on ''Stronghold 3'' followed by ''Crusader II'' in their schedule due to the high demand by fans. The studio eventually cancelled the release of the planned ''Dungeon Hero'' title around this time. In 2009, when asked if they had any other unannounced game in development besides ''Dungeon Hero'' and ''Stronghold Kingdoms'', the answer was that they still had one more game in development.<ref name="Kingdoms Interview">{{Cite web|title=stronghold kingdoms interview|url=http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/interviews/6122-Firefly-Studios-Talks-Up-Stronghold-Kingdoms|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019124405/http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/interviews/6122-Firefly-Studios-Talks-Up-Stronghold-Kingdoms|archive-date=2013-10-19|access-date=2009-07-11}}</ref><ref>[http://www.videogamer.com/pc/stronghold_crusader_extreme/news/stronghold_3_and_crusader_2_coming_at_some_point.html Stronghold 3 and Crusader 2 coming at some point]</ref> In Firefly's second newsletter, they stated that they had "something very big in the pipeline" which would be revealed in 2010.<ref>[http://www.fireflyworlds.com/newsletter/newsletter2.html Firefly Newsletter - Issue #2]</ref> |
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''[[Stronghold 3]]'' was officially announced on 14 May 2010 by [[SouthPeak Games]] and was released in October 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[SouthPeak Games]] Staff|date=May 13, 2010|title=SouthPeak Games Acquires Rights to Publish Firefly Studios' Stronghold 3|url=http://www.southpeakgames.com/news/801/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/67OgWBmT8?url=http://www.southpeakgames.com/news/southpeak-games-acquires-rights-publish-firefly-studios-stronghold-3|archive-date=May 4, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2010|publisher=[[SouthPeak Games]]}}</ref> The title received some criticism on gaming sites from for errors in the game. Fans pointed to various issues, including the difficulty involved with building walls, and that there was no kingmaker. Firefly Studios responded to this by announcing that they intended to patch the game every week.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} |
''[[Stronghold 3]]'' was officially announced on 14 May 2010 by [[SouthPeak Games]] and was released in October 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[SouthPeak Games]] Staff|date=May 13, 2010|title=SouthPeak Games Acquires Rights to Publish Firefly Studios' Stronghold 3|url=http://www.southpeakgames.com/news/801/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/67OgWBmT8?url=http://www.southpeakgames.com/news/southpeak-games-acquires-rights-publish-firefly-studios-stronghold-3|archive-date=May 4, 2012|access-date=May 10, 2010|publisher=[[SouthPeak Games]]}}</ref> The title received some criticism on gaming sites from for errors in the game. Fans pointed to various issues, including the difficulty involved with building walls, and that there was no kingmaker. Firefly Studios responded to this by announcing that they intended to patch the game every week.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} |
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Revision as of 15:21, 5 August 2021
 | This article may require copy editing for tone and grammar. (July 2021) |
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , |
Key people |
|
| Products | Stronghold series |
Number of employees | 30 (2017) |
| Website | fireflyworlds |
Firefly Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London, England. The company was formed in 1999 by Simon Bradbury and Eric Ouellette. The company has focused on historic real-time strategy titles for the PC and Macintosh systems and is best known for its Stronghold series of games.[1]
History
Firefly Studios was established in 1999 by Bradbury and Ouellette, who knew each other through their time at Impressions Games.[2] Their first title, Stronghold released in 2001, was successful both critically and commercially.[3]
The company has, however, struggled to recreate the popularity of its original Stronghold and Stronghold: Crusader titles. The Stronghold 2 and Stronghold Legends titles released in 2005 and 2006 were both reviewed poorly and received Metacritic scores of 63%[4] and 57% respectively.[5] More recently, the last of the series, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme, received the worst reviews to date, with an average of 40% scores.[6] Around this time, the studio began a collaboration with Firaxis Games that produced CivCity: Rome, a title that also reviewed poorly,[7] and was, in fact, the last Firefly title published by Take-Two Interactive.
In 2008, Firefly stated that they would be working on Stronghold 3 followed by Crusader II in their schedule due to the high demand by fans. The studio eventually cancelled the release of the planned Dungeon Hero title around this time. In 2009, when asked if they had any other unannounced game in development besides Dungeon Hero and Stronghold Kingdoms, the answer was that they still had one more game in development.[8][9] In Firefly's second newsletter, they stated that they had "something very big in the pipeline" which would be revealed in 2010.[10]
Stronghold 3 was officially announced on 14 May 2010 by SouthPeak Games and was released in October 2011.[11] The title received some criticism on gaming sites from for errors in the game. Fans pointed to various issues, including the difficulty involved with building walls, and that there was no kingmaker. Firefly Studios responded to this by announcing that they intended to patch the game every week.[citation needed]
More recent titles include Stronghold Crusader II is the latest title in the Stronghold series which was scheduled for release in early 2013,[12] but got later delayed until later in 2014.[13] The game was the sequel to their 2002 title Stronghold: Crusader which is, according to lead designer at Firefly Studios, Simon Bradbury, "our favorite game, it’s our fans’ favorite game and it’s the game we have been waiting to put into production for several long years now."[14] The title was released on 23 September 2014.
Future
Dungeon Hero, being developed for the PC and Xbox 360 systems, has been in development for several years. Originally being published by Gamecock Media Group until they were bought out by SouthPeak Games in October 2008, this spurred a legal squabble on the subject of ownership of the game. Dungeon Hero is currently without a publisher, despite SouthPeak publishing every other Gamecock title due for release. Firefly Studios have announced that the title is on hold, and with the last of several planned release dates have passed, it has further fueled speculation that this title is now a vaporware title.
Stronghold: Next was the latest confirmed title by Firefly. At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019, the title was revealed to be Stronghold: Warlords with a release set for January 2021 on the Steam platform. It was released on March 9th, 2021.
Games
| Year | Game |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Stronghold |
| 2002 | Stronghold: Crusader |
| 2003 | Space Colony |
| 2005 | Stronghold 2 |
| 2006 | CivCity: Rome |
| 2006 | Stronghold Legends |
| Cancelled | Dungeon Hero |
| 2008 | Stronghold: Crusader Extreme |
| 2009 | Stronghold Kingdoms |
| 2011 | Stronghold 3 |
| 2012 | Stronghold HD |
| 2012 | Stronghold: Crusader HD |
| 2012 | Space Colony HD |
| 2014 | Stronghold Crusader II |
| 2015 | Space Colony: Steam Edition |
| 2016 | Wonky Tower[15] |
| 2016 | Stronghold Legends: Steam Edition |
| 2017 | Stronghold 2: Steam Edition |
| 2017 | Stronghold Kingdoms: Mobile Edition |
| 2017 | MetaMorph: Dungeon Creatures[16] |
| 2021 | Stronghold: Warlords |
References
- ^ Guglielmo, Samuel (19 November 2019). "Sam Speaks With Firefly Studios About Stronghold: Warlords". TechRaptor. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "About us: Strategy gaming since 1999". Firefly Studios. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ stronghold meta score
- ^ stronghold 2 meta score
- ^ stronghold legends meta score
- ^ crusader extreme meta score
- ^ civcity:rome meta score
- ^ "stronghold kingdoms interview". Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
- ^ Stronghold 3 and Crusader 2 coming at some point
- ^ Firefly Newsletter - Issue #2
- ^ SouthPeak Games Staff (May 13, 2010). "SouthPeak Games Acquires Rights to Publish Firefly Studios' Stronghold 3". SouthPeak Games. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.fireflyworlds.com/press/sheet.php?p=Stronghold%20Crusader%202
- ^ http://www.fireflyworlds.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=524&Itemid=1
- ^ "Wonky Tower | Firefly Studios". www.fireflyworlds.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-14. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ^ "MetaMorph : Dungeon Creatures".
External links
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| National | |
| Other | |
