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Christian Whitehead

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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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