- Crusader: DE - Update & DLC 1 Reveals - 7 August 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn98HHTPl4k With your help Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition has charged into the breach and emerged from its launch victorious! The response from fans has been nothing short of stellar and we're pleased to reveal some of our initial content plans in today's developer update! While we're still working hard to add features, fixes and tweaks that players have been requesting (See our extensive v1.03 Patch Notes for the latest changes), we're keeping this momentum going by revealing new details of gameplay content players can look forward to in the coming months. With additional updates like v1.03 and more coming before then... Our first major ‘Autumn’ update will arrive in two parts, a free content update and an optional paid DLC. This will introduce The Crocodile, a brand new computer-controlled opponent with his own tactics, castle design, army and…
- Stronghold Crusader: DE - Out Now! - 16 July 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZanPPwupPz4 The time is NOW, Sire! The long march is finally over and your forces have finally arrived at our divine destination - Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is out now with a 10% launch discount! The fan reception to Stronghold: Definitive Edition in 2023 showed us the hunger in the community for more games that take the cult classic games of the past, leaving the gold while elevating the old. The tremendous outpouring of love has pushed us to make this definitive edition of the fan-favourite Crusader the best it possible can be, adding more features, fixes and content than anyone could have expected. We can't wait to see how fans take this reimagined classic and make it their own. Every bit of feedback across our demos has helped to inform the final game, allowing us to craft this expanded remaster hand-in-hand with the community. This play…
- Stronghold Crusader: DE - Roadmap Reveal - 3 July 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71UzpnLOH7U Updates and DLC To Add New Lords, Customisation and More! Good Day, Sire! Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is now less than two weeks from launch, so what better time than now to share all there is to know about the game's post-release plans! Following the positive reception of the two public demos and in keeping with Stronghold: DE’s post-launch, we're announcing two major post-launch content updates for Crusader: DE. These will take the form of an Autumn and a Winter Update, both releasing this year alongside two paid DLCs. The free initial Autumn Update will feature a series-first economic campaign as well as a brand new CPU commander. Five missions will challenge players to complete a series of economic objectives, leaning heavily into our city builder gameplay mechanics. The new computer-controlled character can meanwhile also be p…
- New Coop Trailer & Next Fest - 9 June 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXejCnia8tc Good tidings, Sire! Steam Next Fest is now live and with it our second public demo for Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition. Showcasing the latest fixes, a full Sands of Time mission, Historical Campaign challenge and allowing you to freely try out Custom Skirmish mode before the game’s July 15th launch, this is our most content rich demo yet! So if you haven’t yet given it a try or think you can rise even higher on the leaderboards, now is the chance to prove your mettle… Crusader: DE was designed with your feedback in mind and at the very top of that list were features like a proper coop mode. In past games we have offered coop in the form of team-based skirmish play and - In the case of Stronghold Crusader 2 - The ability for two players to control the same castle. In Crusader: DE we have gone a step further and designed a full 10 missio…
- Feature Spotlight: 10k Unit Cap, Mosques & More! - 23 May 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js6TBaUA8QQ Good morrow, my liege! After 150,000 demo downloads, three times as many as Stronghold: Definitive Edition... We have channelled thousands of your Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition feedback forms into new player-requested enhancements! Ahead of the game's July 15th launch, today we dive into some of these community-requested features, confirming key information on maximum unit counts and more in our final ‘Feature Spotlight’ development diary. As some of Crusader’s most knowledgeable and experienced players, your feedback on our upcoming Definitive Edition has been invaluable. So naturally suggestions and ideas discussed online were studied in close detail, ahead of the game’s reveal earlier this year. Your Crusader: DE feedback was then further examined after January 20th, using the demo’s feedback form. Many features have been requeste…
- Feature Spotlight: New Units - 30 April 2025
Good day, my liege! After a few eagle-eyed players infiltrated the help files, Assassin style, in our Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition reveal demo, we thought it was time to pull back the curtain on our 8 new units. Today’s Feature Spotlight video brings with it new footage and juicy gameplay details for our Bedouin soldiers, expanding the original roster with fresh tactical options at launch on July 15th. Inspired by the roaming Bedouin tribes of the Middle Eastern deserts, these eight new troops open up a whole new world of siege tactics (and hurt!) on your rival lords. Be they friends you played the OG Crusader with way back in the day or new Stronghold allies found in our official Discord server, enemy Lords and Ladies won’t know what hit them. From camel-riding lancers and bowmen, to sneaking fire-starters and demolition specialists, our expanded remaster adds plenty of new…
- Feature Spotlight: New AI Lords - 4 April 2025
Dive into the devious Kahin, Sentinel, Nomad and Jewel! Greetings My Liege! As the warmth and green of spring finally begins to break through (At least... Here in the UK!) we are marching ever closer to our July 15th release date for this long awaited expanded remaster of your favourite Stronghold. We know July feels like a million miles away right now, but rest assured we are working hard to implement your feedback and suggestions before launch. This is thanks in no small part to the more than 6,000 of you who filled out our demo feedback form and the 150,000 potential future players who have wishlisted Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition! With today's new video we thought... What better way to toast this new season and alleviate some of that wait than with a sneak peek at our deadly new AI opponents, awaiting you this summer! From the wily and dastardly to the blunt and brutish, e…
- Crusader: Definitive Edition - Reveal Round-Up! - 20 March 2025
ICYMI Since revealing Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition in January's Real-Time Strategy Fest, you have responded to our rally war cry in full force! With over 150,000 wishlists, 130,000 demo downloads and more than 6,000 helpful responses to our in-game player survey... Let's just say the granary is full, my Lord. While you wait for our July 15th release, we hope this collection of updates from the team here at Firefly helps bring you up to speed about what you can expect from the final game, before we march back to the desert fortresses and arid plains of the past. Please enjoy these updates and subscribe to Firefly Studios on YouTube for more reveals! 🎨 Artists Niall, Darrin, Jorge and Tom dive into the recreation of Crusader: DE's new visuals! Discover the extra animals and features coming to Crusader from our talented art team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTLaSzli2aQ 🏰 S…
- Play Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Demo Today! - 21 January 2025
Greetings Sire! Gird your loins and sharpen your steel because 23 years after it first launched, we’re incredibly excited to announce Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition! Travel back in time to the legendary crusades for the holy land in this new expanded definitive edition, releasing this year on July 15th 2025 with brand new content, elevated graphics and extensive player-requested features all rebuilt by game’s original developers! This title is many people’s favourite old-school 2D RTS, so taking this cult favourite and elevating it for the modern player has been an endeavour of passion for us – one that is only possible because of the community’s clear desire for this kind of classic strategy experience. The best way we could think of thanking you for your support has been to go above and beyond, with new AIs, missions, modes and maps, as well as the Steam multiplayer and works…
- Valley of the Wolf & Spring Update - Coming April 30th! - 28 March 2024
Snarls Soon you will see what it means to wage real warfare! That is... In our final instalment of the Stronghold: Definitive Edition 'Jewel' campaign! Valley of the Wolf extends the base game with seven new missions and extra achievements. Under the tutelage of the wise Sergeant, finish the fight by rescuing Sir Longarm's captured kin once and for all, when this new DLC releases for $2.99, €2.99 and £2.49 on April 30th. This final chapter of 'The Jewel' campaign pits players against the greatest rogue of them all... The vicious Wolf! To safely retrieve the Jewel of the North and put an end to The Wolf's insidious scourge, players must plunge directly into the belly of the beast and bring the fight to his borders. Against great odds in unfamiliar territory, survival alone demands that nothing is held back. Also arriving on April 30th as part of our 'Spring Update' is a second castle tra…
- The Future of Stronghold - 1 February 2024
Happy New Year! After a launch that quite frankly exceeded all our expectations... We are pleased to announce that the first substantial gameplay update for Stronghold: Definitive Edition releases on Steam on February 13th! A simultaneous launch of free content and paid DLC, the Winter Update will be available to all players, while the Swine's Bay Campaign DLC will retail for $2.99, £2.49 or €2.99. Feeling lucky? You could even win this DLC through a giveaway being run in the above development diary! Check it out to learn more and get the inside track on what to expect of Firefly in 2024 and beyond. As announced before launch, we intend to support Stronghold: Definitive Edition with both free and paid post-launch content, releasing as two major updates. The aim of each DLC is to offer fresh missions, created by veteran developers for players who want to challenge their two decades of ca…
- Stronghold: Definitive Edition - Out Now! - 7 November 2023
Greetings sire! Your stronghold awaits you. The ultimate version of our first ‘castle sim’ is now available on Steam with upgraded visuals, new missions, Steam multiplayer support and more. We are incredibly excited to be launching our first 2D Stronghold game with new content for over 20 years and even more thrilled by your warm response to the game over the past few months. When we were in the planning stages for Stronghold: Definitive Edition we had faith in the demand for new 2D isometric strategy games, but could never be 100% sure. Your overwhelming support, feedback and love for our series’ 2D roots made this project possible and we cannot wait to hear what you think of it. This game has been a labour of love for the team, both for Stronghold 1 itself and also a bygone golden era of isometric 2D strategy. We hope that shines through, as we continue to improve it with updates and…
- Stronghold: DE - Post-Release Roadmap - 3 November 2023
Our final pre-release update for Stronghold: Definitive Edition is a big one... As we reveal our post-release plans for the game! We can now commit to two major updates for the game, with a new economic campaign and second castle trail planned alongside new maps and the usual mix of smaller features and fixes. These two updates will release early next year and arrive at the same time as one of two paid DLC military campaigns, which will each cost $2.99, £2.49 or €2.99. It gives us great pleasure to confirm these today alongside a recap of community driven features added since our most recent public demo, which now include (optional) auto-trading and selectable team colours in all game modes! During our two public demos and player surveys thousands of you told us that post-launch support and paid DLC were both of interest, so we made plans to release these in early 2024. Featuring a new…
- New Dev Diaries & Gameplay - 27 October 2023
Increased Troop Limits, Rally Points and Free Build Improvements! Developer Diary - Episode 2 In our second Stronghold: Definitive Edition dev diary we discuss the genesis of the game, while delving into changes made as part of this new edition. Join Stronghold series veterans Simon and Paul, as they provide insight into the creation of our latest game from their unique perspectives. We discuss the aims of Stronghold: DE and goals for everything from new single player content, all the way down to the smallest quality of life enhancements. Starting with the initial project pitch, then leading to questions of the scale of changes and finer elements like the actual difficulty of the new content, the road to release has been carefully considered. It also gives us great pleasure in this video to confirm some of these changes and a few entirely new ones! In response to player feedback we have…
- 🏰 New Stronghold: DE Demo Out Now 🏰 - 9 October 2023
Castle builders and fans of feudal taxation rejoice! As part of Steam Next Fest: October Edition and in celebration of almost 200,000 wishlists, we have just released a brand new Stronghold: Definitive Edition demo - Our final playable build before launch! 👇 Play Now 👇 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2140020/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition/ Available exclusively on Steam as part of Next Fest, this demo features never-before-seen-missions - including your first look at our brand new single player campaign. This includes Missions 3 and 8 from the original 2001 Stronghold military campaign, as well as a challenging mission from the exclusive new Definitive Edition campaign. Need a refresher? Then dive into the demo's full tutorial to warm up first. In addition to both of the original military and economic campaigns, the ‘Jewel of the North’ DE campaign will feature returning fan favouri…
- Definitive Edition - Campaign Trailer - 29 August 2023
Our Gamescom Stronghold: Definitive Edition campaign reveal provides an exciting first look at parts one and two of The Jewel Campaign, in which players march across the devastated English hinterland in search of Sir Longarm's captured kin. A side story running in parallel to the military campaign released in 2001, The Jewel Campaign is designed to challenge veteran players of the 20 year old series with new twists on familiar Stronghold gameplay, while also extend the story of the original castle sim. Crafted by Firefly co-founders Simon Bradbury and Eric Ouellette, these new missions will be playable at launch, alongside both the original military and economic campaigns. The 14 missions of this new campaign will feature series antagonists The Rat and The Snake. As part of the larger overarching game narrative, players will be tasked with thwarting these nefarious lords from their purs…
- Stronghold: DE - Your Biggest Questions Answered! - 18 August 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqV6DYBgFzI Here it is... Every burning question we've seen online that we can answer at this point in development for Stronghold: Definitive Edition! We have been absolutely overwhelmed by thousands of responses to our demo player survey, 35,000 demo downloads and 150,000 wishlists (It's gone up since we recorded this video!). It means a huge deal to us that you are so excited for and invested in our very first Definitive Edition, which we want to make as fun, polished and true to the original game as possible. So while you can expect more updates and developer diaries in the future, digging into our process behind this new version of Stronghold, we decided to answer everything we can at this moment in time. Sourcing questions here on YouTube, but also from the official Stronghold Discord, TikTok, subreddit, Firefly Twitter and beyond, we have compiled a…
- Stronghold: Definitive Edition - Demo Now Live! - 10 August 2023
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2140020/Stronghold_Definitive_Edition/ Download, play and give us feedback! Trial ends August 29th We have now released our first public playable demo for Stronghold: Definitive Edition, coming to Steam on November 7th! Currently available via the game's Steam store page, this demo was previously shared with press and content creators as part of our full reveal last month. This updated Alpha build demo contains new visuals, controls options, missions 4 and 11 from the original game's military campaign and a full tutorial for players new to the series. We are releasing this to gather as much feedback as possible ahead of launch later this year, with the demo remaining available until August 29th. After playing either mission 4 or 11 you will find a Feedback button in the main menu. Hit that, fill out our player survey and let us know what you think! We…
- Halloween Update 2022 - 25 October 2022
A ghoulish spell has been cast over your otherwise (mostly) innocent peasants, with the arrival of our annual Stronghold Halloween updates! While workers can still shovel gong, besiege your enemies and eat their fill of rations, something terrible has definitely happened to their complexion... In addition to horribly disfigured pumpkin heads, your peasant populace also have entirely new names like Roger the Ripper, Tristram Pumpkinhead and Reginald Bloodcurdle. The solution? Squash any temptation to hollow out their new noggins and put them to work, ideally as far away from your corrupted keep as possible! You could attempt to burn these problems away with the new green wildfire, however we have a strong feeling the curse may only be lifted by those who cast it. The Stronghold Halloween updates are now available on Steam for players who have downloaded the latest versions of Stronghold…
- The Lore of Stronghold - Season 2 - 1 September 2022
A second season of videos now available on the Firefly Studios YouTube channel, The Lore of Stronghold 2 covers some of your favourite characters from the anticipated castle sim sequel! Take heed and rejoice, for we bring glad tidings! Season 2 of the 'Lore of Stronghold', this time focusing on Stronghold 2, is here in full for your viewing pleasure. This new season covers the history behind Stronghold 2, our first 3D Stronghold featuring an all new cast of characters. Exploring our fictional narrative, we examine the lore that made Stronghold 2 a captivating place for series veterans, even without the original game's cast of now legendary characters. From Sir William, a man who marched through hell on a quest for redemption and Matthew Steele, a boy who rose to weave his own tapestry of legend from nothing, to Lady Seren, a woman whose intensity of spirit and heart of steel would let n…
