Bio:
From voicing the iconic ‘Guh-huh!’ of Banjo to engineering the pulse-pounding barrel launches in Donkey Kong Country, Chris Sutherland has been a driving force behind some of gaming’s most beloved classics for over three decades.
As Lead Software Engineer at legendary developer Rare Ltd, Chris crafted the core gameplay mechanics that made titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country feel so magical in players’ hands. If you’ve ever pulled off a perfectly-timed off-ledge roll in DKC or mastered Banjo and Kazooie’s beloved moveset – from the Rat-a-tat Rap to the Wonderwing – you’ve experienced Chris’s meticulous attention to player control.
Gaming history buffs might recognize Chris as the voice behind numerous fan-favourite characters, including both Banjo AND Kazooie. He even spat rhymes as part of the infamous DK Rap in Donkey Kong 64 and delivered the bone-crushing ‘ULTRA COMBOOO!’ announcer calls in the original Killer Instinct.
During his tenure as Producer at Rare, Chris shepherded groundbreaking projects like Viva Piñata and the BAFTA Award-winning Kinect Sports series. He also played a crucial role in developing the Xbox 360’s Avatar system, helping players express themselves in the digital space.
In 2015, Chris co-founded Playtonic Games, where nostalgia met innovation in the crowdfunding phenomenon Yooka-Laylee. The Kickstarter campaign shattered records and proved the enduring appeal of 3D platformers, leading to the duo’s further adventures in the critically acclaimed Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair.
Notable video game work includes
Software Engineering
The Amazing Spider-Man – GameBoy (1990)
Sneaky Snakes – GameBoy (1991)
Battletoads – Arcade (1994)
Donkey Kong Country – SNES (1994)
Donkey Kong Country 2 – Diddy’s Kong Quest – SNES (1995)
Banjo-Kazooie – N64 (1998)
Banjo-Tooie – N64 (2000)
Grabbed by the Ghoulies – Xbox (2003)
Yooka-Laylee – PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch (2017)
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair – PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch (2019)
Production
Viva Piñata – Xbox360 (2006)
Xbox Avatars V1 – Xbox360 (2008)
Kinect Sports – Xbox360 (2010)
Kinect Sports: Season Two – Xbox360 (2011)
Kinect Sports Rivals – Xbox One (2014)
Voice Over
Killer Instinct – Announcer (1994-)
Battletoads Arcade – Announcer (1994)
Banjo-Kazooie series – Banjo & Kazooie (1998-)
Donkey Kong 64 – The DK Rap (1999)
Perfect Dark N64 – Daniel Carrington (2000)
Viva Piñata – Jardiniero (2006)
Yooka-Laylee series – Yooka & Laylee (2017, 2019)
