January 2011 is a very special month for Matmi because we’ll be a whole decade old – and what a blast it’s been!

It culminated in me winning the “Best Chubby Johnny Depp” award at our 10 year Christmas party (remember that crazy incident?). We’re no stranger to awards, but I particularly like this one. Maybe in another 10 years it’ll be worth framing (or maybe I’ll have melted it down…).

The truth is that a decade ago, I could never have imagined that we’d be where we are now, having had our best year yet in the middle of a pretty nasty recession. How come? Because we’ve acquired two important assets on our journey: digital wisdom and a good reputation.

The wisdom is ours to keep – as long as we keep feeding it with all the experimentation we do (known by our other halves as ‘playing about’). The good reputation is only as good as our last release; a simultaneous threat and opportunity which keeps us on our mettle.

The Channel Connect game we’ve just done for multi-channel software house, Maginus, is a good example. It started out based on the award-winning Let It Flow game from Comic Relief 2007 – but then the Matmians and their magic started to get to work. An evolution wasn’t good enough, exciting enough or challenging enough – and I have to say, they were right. The revolution it became was a lot better.

It’s the same with Bobble Factor, a fantastic new game for Nokia’s Ovi Music Store commissioned by Advergamer. It’s inspiration was Puzzle Bobble, but the result was pure Matmi magic. Anyway – it’s usually our work that’s being copied and although it annoys me some of the time, it’s great to get the covert recognition from the industry.

Talking of which, we’ll be marking Matmi’s 10th anniversary in a number of ways so watch this space! The digital sector is trucking onwards faster and more confidently than ever, and we intend to be right in the thick of it. Experimenting, wondering, challenging the norm – and leading new converts (by example, of course) into brave and amazing new forms of digital marketing.

The wisdom Matmi has gained in the last decade is priceless (which must be why I need help with estimates). Every Matmian is an expert in their field so the melting pot of talent we can tap into for clients is red hot! And we never rest on our laurels because digital never sleeps.

If you’d like to start your best year yet, you know who to call.

Wishing you a very Happy Xmas from the Matmi team
A ten years older Jeff (in body, not mind; you can make up your own mind which way my mind has gone…).

Christmas is always a nail-biting time at Matmi. Usually we’re glued to the worldwide viral chart to find out whether our annual offering is going to make the top spot (and 4 years running is pretty hard to beat…).

This year, there’s far more at stake: the happiness of every child and believer in (Green) Santa!

Threatened by global warming, Santa’s icy runway needs plenty of pledges from every child in the country to be greener (as in “environmentally friendly”…). Without them, the ice could melt at an alarming rate, plunging Green Santa and his eagerly-awaited cargo into the depths of …..

No! Stop!! It doesn’t bear thinking about…. !

Over 100,000 pledges...

100,000 pledges so far is brilliant! But is it enough?

There’s only one way to make sure, kids. Get to the website and start pledging even faster now to make absolutely sure that Green Santa takes to the skies on Friday night. He neeeeeeeeds you!

I can’t look……

In hope, Stewart

PS. You might like this neat free-to-play game on the Green Santa website as well. After it’s first week, Polar Pogo is bouncing around most of the planet and is also getting on for 100,000 plays. Spooky (nice). Enjoy, Stewart.