[It's been a busy year for the downloadable games business - several new developers have emerged on the scene on the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and WiiWare while new game environments have emerged with the Xbox Live Indie Games, DSiWare and PSN minis.

Development teams can be tens of people strong, or sometimes they can be just one guy barely out of school. There's still so much to learn about development, so we contacted developers across the gaming landscape to ask them what they enjoyed about the last year, what was the most troubling, and what lessons they'll be bringing into the new decade.]

Twisted Pixel burst onto the Xbox Live Arcade in 2009 with the release of two titles - The Maw and 'Splosion Man, both very well received and selling a whole mountain of copies.

We spoke with CEO Michael Wilford about what he's learned throughout last year, and what he has planned for new IP Comic Jumper in 2010.

What were you most happy with during the game's development?

Michael Wilford: With The Maw, we're most happy with the amount of personality we were able to express in Maw. With Splosion Man, we're most happy with the level design and challenge it presents while still retaining a broad appeal and lots of humor. With Comic Jumper, so far we're the most proud of the game's scope, like its visual design, graphics effects, and amount of content that we're able to slam into a downloadable title.

What were you least happy with, in retrospect?

MW: With The Maw, we would have liked to include more levels. With Splosion Man, we would have liked to add more backgrounds and environments. With Comic Jumper, we're taking the extra time to add in everything we can think of, so it's all good so far!

What is the biggest lesson you're going to apply to the next game you make?

MW: The biggest thing that will affect the future development of our games isn't a lesson as much as it is a happy consequence. Now that we're on our third title, we have the elbow room to take a little longer, spend a little more money, improve upon our mature engine, and just make better games in general.

[The Maw and 'Splosion Man are currently available on the Xbox Live Arcade for $10 each. You can also find The Maw on Steam]