New life and the game of family connection

Thirty years ago Australian couple, Craig Browne and Leonie Cutts, experienced two simultaneous life-changing events. And it’s happening again!

In January 1997, Craig and Leonie were overjoyed by two life-changing milestones: one, the birth of their first baby (Caitlin), and two, sales of their board game Compatibility* were approaching 500,000 copies world-wide with toy industry giant, Mattel.

This was not only an exciting family moment for the couple. It was also a rare event for the Australian toy industry. Things are a bit different now, but at the time, only three or four board games from Australia had ever been successfully launched world-wide.

Such a wonderful coupling of events gained considerable media attention, including a feature article in Australian WHO magazine’s 5^th Anniversary Edition that pictured Craig, Leonie and newborn baby Caitlin (happily laying on the Compatibility game board).

Fast forward to July 2026, one generation on, and an even more delightful life-changing pairing is happening for the creative couple. One, they are now grandparents! Daughter Caitlin (she prefers “Caitie” these days) and her husband, Curtis, have just welcomed their first child (Lola). Two, Compatibility, reborn as Matchy Matchy, is being released world-wide by the incredible French games company, Cocktail Games.

Already winning industry praise in the multi-billion-euro board game market, Matchy Matchy has just won the prestigious Grand Prix du Jouet 2026 in the party game category and is being distributed by the likes of Asmodee, the global board game publishing powerhouse.

Today, as 30 years ago, this disarmingly simple game of selecting and matching image cards will again be creating fun and connection for players of all ages around tables all over the world.

And maybe a little “matchy matchy” interaction is needed even more now. As Thomas Koegler, CEO of Asmodee, puts it, “The more our societies become digitally connected, the more people will be looking for physical interaction … that’s what is behind the success of board games.” [in Monocle]

Matchy Matchy is rolling out across Europe and Asia in 2026. It will be available in English-speaking countries in 2027.

*The central concept of CCS Cards grew from our board game, Compatibility. In the game, as in CCS Cards, we give everyone a pack of the same set of image cards, have them select cards to respond to different topics and then share and “compare” their choices.