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Christian Whitehead

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christian Whitehead
NationalityAustralian
Other namesThe Taxman
OccupationGame programmer
EmployerEvening Star
Known forDeveloping Sonic the Hedgehog video games

Christian Whitehead, also known as The Taxman,[1] is an Australian video game programmer and designer.[2] He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, as well as being a lead developer of an original game in the series, Sonic Mania. In late 2018, Whitehead co-founded indie development studio Evening Star, which launched its first game, Penny's Big Breakaway, in early 2024.

Career

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In 2006, Whitehead worked as a freelance 3D animator with the company Kine Graffiti. Since 2009, he has focused on game development, developing various fangames based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series.[3] In 2009, Whitehead produced a "proof-of-concept" video of Sonic CD running on an iPhone using his own custom engine, the "Retro Engine".[4][5] In an interview with Steven O'Donnell of Good Game: Spawn Point, Whitehead proclaims that he spent "about a year or so" convincing Sega to let him work on the Sonic CD port.[6] In 2009, a video regarding Sonic CD from Whitehead was taken down, leading Eurogamer to report that Whitehead possibly faced a cease and desist letter from Sega, which Whitehead claimed was false.[7][6] The port was released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iPhone and Android in 2011.[7] His remake was so successful that he, along with developer Simon "Stealth" Thomley of the studio Headcannon, would later be commissioned to remaster Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for mobile devices.[5]

Although he, along with Headcannon, released a proof-of-concept video for a Sonic the Hedgehog 3 remaster in 2014, Sega did not greenlight the port.[8] In 2015, it was announced that Whitehead would be involved in his first non-Sonic game, Freedom Planet 2.[9] In 2017, Whitehead, in collaboration with Headcannon and PagodaWest Games, developed and released their own original title in the Sonic series, titled Sonic Mania.[10][11] In 2018, Sonic Mania was re-released as Sonic Mania Plus, which added additional content to the original game. Sonic Mania Plus was developed by Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games, and the now included Hyperkinetic Studios.[12] Whitehead also contributed to the development of Sonic Origins, providing a new version of the engine used in the remasters.[13]

In late 2018, Whitehead and other development members behind Sonic Mania founded their own studio Evening Star,[14][15] where he serves as creative director and lead engine architect.[15] In 2022, the studio signed a publishing deal with Private Division; their first title, Penny's Big Breakaway, was released in 2024.

Works

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Year Title Collaborator(s) Publisher Platforms
2007 Retro Sonic — self-published Windows, Dreamcast
2008 Sonic Nexus Brad Flick and Hunter Bridges self-published Windows, Mac OS X
2011 Sonic CD BlitWorks (PC/Console port)[16] Sega Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iOS, Android, Ouya, Windows, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV
2013 Sonic the Hedgehog Headcannon Sega iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Headcannon Sega
2017 Sonic Mania Headcannon, PagodaWest Games, Hyperkinetic Studios (Plus update) and Tantalus Media (Switch port) Sega Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows
2022 Sonic Origins Headcannon and Sonic Team Sega
Freedom Planet 2 GalaxyTrail GalaxyTrail Windows, macOS, Linux
2023 Sonic Origins Plus Headcannon and Sonic Team Sega Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows
2024 Penny's Big Breakaway Evening Star Private Division Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows

References

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  1. ^ Mawson, Chris (12 January 2015). "Fans Launch Campaign for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Mobile Release". Power Up Gaming. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Sonic Fans Campaign For the Release of Sonic 3 Remastered | mxdwn Games". games.mxdwn.com. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  3. ^ Rainer Sigl (1 February 2015). "Lieblingsspiele 2.0: Die bewundernswerte Kunst der Fan-Remakes" (in German). Der Standard.
  4. ^ Hodapp, Eli (29 July 2009). "Christian Whitehead On 'Sonic CD' and His Retro Engine". TouchArcade. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  5. ^ a b Nelson, Jared (19 October 2014). "Hey Sega! This 'Sonic 3 & Knuckles' iOS Port Needs to Happen". TouchArcade. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b O'Donnell, Steven (10 September 2017), "Making Sonic Mania", Good Game: Spawn Point, retrieved 10 February 2018
  7. ^ a b Parkin, Simon (22 December 2011). "Sonic CD Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 21 April 2017. However, after a few weeks, Whitehead's website was taken offline, as was the YouTube video he released to show off his work. It seemed as though Sega's lawyers had issued a cease-and-desist and ordered his work to be scrapped.
  8. ^ Mawson, Chris (2 April 2015). "Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Remastered Interview with Christian 'The Taxman' Whitehead". Power Up Gaming. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  9. ^ Oliver, Tristan (25 December 2015). "Taxman on Board for Freedom Planet 2 Development". TSSZ News. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  10. ^ Byford, Sam (23 July 2016). "Could Sonic Mania be the best Sonic the Hedgehog game since the Genesis?". The Verge. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  11. ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (30 May 2017). "Sonic Mania gets an August release date and an adorably animated trailer". The Verge. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  12. ^ Oloman, Jordan (16 March 2018). "Sonic Mania Plus for PS4, Xbox One, Switch Adds New Characters, Competitive Mode". IGN. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Christian Whitehead on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  14. ^ @CFWhitehead (12 February 2019). "Hi everyone! I'd like to introduce you to Evening Star, a new game studio I have founded alongside:@TheRealDPad…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ a b "Evening Star - Team".
  16. ^ Orland, Kyle (20 January 2021). "PC fan port of early Sonic games lets you zoom the camera way, way out". Ars Technica.
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