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A Happy 10th Anniversary to the Wonderland Games!  On October 24th, 2002, the very first Wonderland game was released, and it’s certainly been a tumultuous ten years. While our five year Anniversary affair was a splashy celebration, I felt that, given the relative quiet around Midnight Synergy these days, a simple letter was a more appropriate way to mark this occasion. The First Ten Years When Wonderland was first released, player feedback was immediate and amazingly positive. The non-violent setting, the intricate puzzles, and the characters of Stinky and Loof clearly resonated with players. We knew we had something special, as Wonderland quickly became more successful than any previous release combined. The first few years after that were a whirlwind of activity, seeing the release of sequels Return To Wonderland in 2003, Wonderland Secret Worlds in 2005, and Wonderland Adventures in early 2007. These years also saw the start of the online player community. Initially a forum with only a handful of members, it has since grown to thousands of members and nearly 300,000 articles posted. To this date, it remains a vibrant place with lots of very talented and kind people, helping each other with technical issues, and taking the Wonderland games further than I ever thought possible. My hat is off to all of you! Of course, things were not always rosy. The player community went through several difficult transitions as it experienced its share of growing pains, and development on new games slowed down after 2007, as other issues in life took precedence, leaving 2009's Mysteries of Fire Island the only release during that time. The Road Ahead As many of you know, the development of the 3rd Wonderland Adventures game, Planet of the Z-Bots, has been creaking and chugging along for almost three years now. I have found this to be a particularly difficult game to work on. Apart from other issues taking priority, including family, health, and the need to simply take a break from game design, I also found it difficult to work my way back into the game after extended absences. But it appears that the game’s development is now set firmly in its tracks, and barring unforseen events, I think that a release in early 2013 is very likely. The discussion forum includes some work-in-progress screenshots of the new game, so be sure to swing by for a visit. And, just for fun, you can have a look at this little teaser trailer to mark the 10th Anniversary... 
Beyond Wonderland Adventures 3, anything is possible. I have a veritable box full of ideas for other Wonderland (and non-Wonderland) games. I may also explore other platforms and multi-platform development, so that our games can reach audiences on Macintosh computers, iOS devices such as the iPhone or iPad, and more. As always, time will tell, but I will say that at this point the concept that intrigues me most has the working title “Wonderland Academy”. Speculate away! A Thank You Finally, I would like to say how very touched I am by the kind words I’ve received from people around the world. There have been many wonderful emails from players who have enjoyed the games, the editor, and the community, and I am very happy to have created something that brought many people joy. I am also surprised in the many other ways that Wonderland played a role in people’s lives: the senior citizen who used Wonderland for his daily mental training as part of his rehabilitation, the teacher who designed problem-solving puzzles to engage hard to reach students in her classroom, the mom whose autistic son found calm and solace in playing Wonderland during difficult episodes, and so many more. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. I truly feel that it has been a great privilege to have had the opportunity to work on these games, and so I want to end this letter with a heart-felt Thank You to all of you who for supporting Midnight Synergy over the years. It’s been a blast, it’s been an adventure, and I look forward to what the future will bring. All the best, Patrick www.midnightsynergy.com
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