New series celebrates the genius of Matthew Smith and his strange illustrations of the game

Publisher Pixel Jockey announces opening Campagna is crowdfunding on Kickstarter Fund the Matthew Smith Collection, a limited edition set commemorating the work of one of the pioneers of British programming in the 1980s. Matthew Smith entered the computer world in 1979 with the TRS-80 and VIC-20 computers, and at just 17 he was noticed by publisher Bug-Byte Software, who offered him the ZX Spectrum and a contract to develop three games.

From this agreement came Styx (1983) and, most importantly, Manic Miner (1983) and its sequel Jet Set Willy (1984), which were not only a huge commercial success (Jet Set Willy sold more than 1 million copies) but were also considered The father of platform games. These games also stood out at the time for their unique cover art styles, extreme difficulty levels, and their contribution to defining the standards of the platforming genre.

back to cassette

Now, Pixel Jockey plans to bring those games back ZX spectrum Through the new physical version. Yes, you read that right: they are coming back in boxed form and released on cassette. Standard version Matthew Smith CollectionPrices start at £39 and include copies of three games. Each title comes in a box with new graphics by Trevor Storey, an artist known for his past work on British history magazine Crash! and Zzap!, one of the busiest developers of new C64 games in the modern era.

For collectors interested in additional content, the ‘complete set’ is priced from £74. This version combines the game with the book”Mining successa 200-page A5 hardcover book, traces Smith’s history and career from his beginnings to the development of Spectrum games. The premium set also includes a number of enamel pins bearing the game’s logo, as well as the first-ever game available on cassette tape, Andre’s Night Off, which was written by Smith for C&VG magazine but was never commercially released.

The campaign also offers the opportunity to purchase an A5 version of the new illustration signed by Smith himself (priced at £99) and personalize your package by selecting individual add-ons. The Matthew Smith collection is currently scheduled to be distributed to Kickstarter backers this month February 2027.