Chris Sutherland (programmer) explained

Chris Sutherland
Birth Date:1 February 1956
Birth Place:England
Known For:Banjo Kazooie, Killer Instinct
Occupation:Programmer, voice actor
Years Active:1989–present
Employer:Rare, Playtonic Games

Chris Sutherland (born February 1, 1956)[1] is an English video game programmer and voice actor. He is best known for programming several titles while at Rare, including Battletoads Arcade, , and Banjo Kazooie, before co-founding Playtonic Games with several other Rare employees. During this time, he also voiced several characters for the company, including Banjo and Kazooie, Diddy Kong and the announcer of the Killer Instinct series.[2] [3]

Biography

In 1989, Sutherland joined the British video game company Rare as a programmer for The Amazing Spider-Man (1990) on Game Boy.[4] [5] Later, he became the lead programmer for Donkey Kong Country (1994), and was responsible for implementing the game's pre-rendered graphics, a process he described as challenging due to the need to reduce the characters' frames of animation.[6] He continued to act as lead programmer for its sequel, (1995), and Banjo-Kazooie (1998) and Banjo-Tooie (2000).[7] During this time, Sutherland provided voice acting for characters in several Rare games, including as Diddy Kong in Diddy Kong Racing (1997) and Donkey Kong 64 (1999), as well as the Banjo-Kazooie series' eponymous characters in all of their appearances.[8] Additionally, he has appeared as the announcer for all three games in the Killer Instinct series.

In 2014, Sutherland left Rare and became one of the founding members of Playtonic Games, alongside other Rare employees including Steve Hurst, Steve Mayles, Gavin Price, Jens Restemeier, and Mark Stevenson.[9]

Credits

!Year!Title!Role
1990The Amazing Spider-ManProgrammer
1991Sneaky Snakes
1994BattletoadsProgrammer, voice actor (Announcer, Rash, Zitz, Pimple)
Donkey Kong CountryLead programmer, voice actor (GBA version only) (Diddy Kong, King K. Rool, Kritter, Krusha, Gnawty)
Killer InstinctVoice actor (Announcer)
1995Lead programmer, voice actor (GBA version only) (Diddy Kong, King K. Rool)
1996Killer Instinct 2Voice actor (Announcer)
Killer Instinct Gold
1997Diddy Kong Racing Voice actor (Diddy Kong, Banjo, Krunch, Taj the Genie)
1998Banjo-KazooieLead programmer, voice actor (Banjo and Kazooie)
1999Donkey Kong 64Lead programmer, voice actor (Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Chunky Kong, King K. Rool, Krusha), music vocals ("DK Rap")
2000Perfect DarkVoice actor (Daniel Carrington, Trent Easton, DataDyne Guards)
Banjo-TooieLead programmer, voice actor (Banjo and Kazooie)
2002Star Fox AdventuresVoice actor (SnowHorn Tribe)
2005Grabbed by the GhouliesProgrammer, voice actor (Banjo Head, Kazooie Head, Vampire Chicken)
Voice actor (Old Ma'wood)
2006Viva PinataProducer, voice actor (Jardiniero)
2008Voice actor (Banjo and Kazooie)
2010Kinect SportsProducer
2011Project manager
2013Killer InstinctVoice actor (Announcer "Chris")
2014Kinect Sports RivalsProject manager
2017Yooka-LayleeDirector, programmer, voice actor (Yooka and Laylee), music vocals ("Yooka-Laylee Rap")
2018Super Smash Bros. UltimateVoice actor (Banjo and Kazooie)
2019Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible LairDirector, programmer, voice actor (Yooka and Laylee)
2020Mighty Fight FederationVoice actor (Yooka and Laylee)
2021Terrain of Magical Expertise Voice actor (Spirit Gate)

Notes and References

  1. 1347018715167129602 . vas_90s . Today's Voice Artist Spotlight: Chris Sutherland.
  2. Web site: Sarkar . Samit . 2013-08-23 . Killer Instinct to offer classic announcer, costumes and music . 2024-06-17 . Polygon . en-US.
  3. News: Stuart . Keith . 2015-03-13 . Rare talent: inside the studio building Banjo-Kazooie's spiritual successor . 2024-06-17 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  4. Web site: Stone . Tom . 2016-11-11 . Ex-Rare legend Chris Sutherland gives us the lowdown on Banjo-Kazooie and Yooka-Laylee . 2024-06-17 . Games Radar .
  5. Web site: McFerran . Damien . 2022-11-08 . Sacred Spaces: Rare's Manor Farm HQ - Nintendo's '90s Hit Factory . 2024-06-17 . Time Extension .
  6. DF Retro: Donkey Kong Country + Killer Instinct - A 16-Bit CG Revolution! . 16 December 2017 . . . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GQ7qtqqgTlo . 11 December 2021 . live.
  7. Web site: Chris Sutherland on MobyGames . 16 June 2024 . MobyGames .
  8. Web site: Ogden . Gavin . 2008-05-14 . Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts - interview . 2024-06-17 . Games Radar .
  9. Web site: Handrahan . Matthew . 2015-02-11 . Rare veterans form Playtonic Games . 2024-06-17 . Games Industry .