Mark Haigh-Hutchinson
Encyclopedia
Mark Haigh-Hutchinson was an English
video game developer
. He is most notable for working on Paperboy
, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
, Star Wars
and the Metroid Prime games.
, but moved to Vortex Software
in 1984. In 1986, he left Vortex for Elite Systems
, where he ported Paperboy
to the Amstrad CPC
. He then later worked at Tiertex. In 1989, he was hired by LucasArts
, where he worked until 1999, mostly on Star Wars video games
. Since 2000, he worked at Retro Studios
, where he developed the camera system for the Metroid Prime series.
On January 15, 2008, Haigh-Hutchinson died in Austin, Texas
after battling pancreatic cancer
, at the age of 43. He is survived by a wife and two daughters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
. He is most notable for working on Paperboy
Paperboy (video game)
Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
, Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zombies Ate My Neighbors, released as Zombies in Europe and Australia, is a run and gun video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo consoles. The game was developed, distributed and produced by LucasArts and published by Konami.-Gameplay:The player chooses between two...
, Star Wars
Star Wars computer and video games
Star Wars has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on movie material, with the remaining games heavily involved in the Expanded Universe.-Early history:...
and the Metroid Prime games.
Biography
Haigh-Hutchinson started his career at Artic SoftwareArtic Software
In the early 1980s, Artic Software, also known as Artic Computing, was a software development company based in Brandesburton. The company's first games were for the Sinclair ZX81 home computer, but they expanded and were also responsible for various ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn...
, but moved to Vortex Software
Vortex Software
Vortex Software was a video game developer founded by Costa Panayi and Paul Canter in the early 1980s to sell the game Cosmos which Panayi had developed for the Sinclair ZX81...
in 1984. In 1986, he left Vortex for Elite Systems
Elite Systems
Elite Systems is a UK video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. They are best known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games...
, where he ported Paperboy
Paperboy (video game)
Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
to the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
. He then later worked at Tiertex. In 1989, he was hired by LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
, where he worked until 1999, mostly on Star Wars video games
Star Wars computer and video games
Star Wars has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on movie material, with the remaining games heavily involved in the Expanded Universe.-Early history:...
. Since 2000, he worked at Retro Studios
Retro Studios
Retro Studios is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in October 1998 by the video game veteran Jeff Spangenberg after leaving Acclaim Entertainment, as an independent studio making games exclusively for Nintendo Company, Ltd.On May 2, 2002, Nintendo...
, where he developed the camera system for the Metroid Prime series.
On January 15, 2008, Haigh-Hutchinson died in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
after battling pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, at the age of 43. He is survived by a wife and two daughters.
Video games
- Android One (1984)
- Highway EncounterHighway EncounterHighway Encounter is a computer game released on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Commodore 64 by Vortex Software in 1985...
(1985) - Alien HighwayAlien HighwayAlien Highway: Encounter 2 is an isometric 3D arcade adventure game released by Vortex in for the Sinclair Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It was programmed by Mark Haigh-Hutchinson and is the sequel to Highway Encounter.- Gameplay :...
(1986) - RevolutionRevolution (video game)Revolution is an isometric 3D puzzle video game released by U.S. Gold in for the Sinclair Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It was programmed by Costa Panayi and is a development of the earlier 3D games Highway Encounter and Alien Highway.- Gameplay :...
(1986) - PaperboyPaperboy (video game)Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game by Atari Games. The players take the role of a paperboy who delivers newspapers along a suburban street on his bicycle. This game was innovative for its theme and novel controls.-Gameplay:...
(1987) - Overlander (1988)
- Thunder BladeThunder Bladeis an arcade shooter released for Sega Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, TurboGrafx-16, ZX Spectrum.-Summary:The player controls a helicopter using guns and missiles to destroy enemy tanks, helicopters, etc, to save his home country. Levels are in both a top-down...
(1988) - Human Killing MachineHuman Killing MachineHuman Killing Machine, commonly abbreviated as HKM, is a 2D fighting game developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold, released in March 1989. It was touted as a sequel to Tiertex's home computer conversion of Street Fighter...
(1988) (a semi-official sequel to Street FighterStreet Fighter (video game)is a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game (1989)
- World Cup Italia '90World Cup Italia '90World Cup Italia '90 is a football video game by Sega for Mega Drive and Master System released in 1990.-Summary:This is the second World Cup official licensed franchise game based on the 1990 FIFA World Cup featuring official logo and the mascot, the first having been the ill-fated and...
(1990) - Magic BoyMagic Boy (video game)Magic Boy is a platform video game developed by Blue Turtle and published for the Amiga, Atari ST and DOS by Empire Interactive and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and Europe by JVC....
(1993) - David Robinson's Supreme CourtDavid Robinson's Supreme CourtDavid Robinson Supreme Court is a Sega Genesis video game that received lukewarm praise during its release in the early 1990s.-Summary:The name is based on former NBA player David Robinson and features four different fictional teams from the United States of America. This game was developed with...
(1993) - Star Wars: Rebel AssaultStar Wars: Rebel AssaultStar Wars: Rebel Assault was the first CD ROM-only game published by LucasArts, set in the Star Wars universe. It was released for the PC followed by subsequent releases on the Sega CD, Mac and 3DO platforms.-Summary:...
(1993) - Sam & Max Hit the RoadSam & Max Hit the RoadSam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure computer game released by LucasArts during the company's adventure games era. The game was originally released for DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release included compatibility with Windows and Amiga...
(1993) - Zombies Ate My NeighborsZombies Ate My NeighborsZombies Ate My Neighbors, released as Zombies in Europe and Australia, is a run and gun video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo consoles. The game was developed, distributed and produced by LucasArts and published by Konami.-Gameplay:The player chooses between two...
(1993) - Big Sky TrooperBig Sky TrooperBig Sky Trooper is a sci-fi action game, produced by JVC and LucasArts for the Super NES in January 1996. At the start of the game, the player chooses an avatar, male or female, before the story begins; the evil Space Slug forces, led by the Sultan of Slime, have launched a sudden attack on...
(1995) - Star Wars: Dark ForcesStar Wars: Dark ForcesStar Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline within the Dark Forces is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle...
(1995) - Star Wars: Shadows of the EmpireStar Wars: Shadows of the EmpireStar Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a multimedia project created by Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1996. The original idea was to create an interquel, a story set between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release,...
(1996) - Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D (1998)
- Star Wars: Episode I RacerStar Wars: Episode I RacerStar Wars Episode I: Racer is a racing video game based on the pod race featured in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The game features a variety of tracks spanning several different planets and includes all and more of the racers featured in the movie, including Teemto Pagalies, Dud Bolt,...
(1999) - Metroid PrimeMetroid PrimeMetroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
(2002) - Metroid Prime 2: EchoesMetroid Prime 2: EchoesMetroid Prime 2: Echoes, known as in Japan, is a first-person, action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console. It is the seventh game in the Metroid series, a direct sequel to Metroid Prime, and the first game in the series with...
(2004) - Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionMetroid Prime 3: CorruptionMetroid Prime 3: Corruption is a first-person action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the tenth game in the Metroid series, and the final entry in the Metroid Prime trilogy—excluding two spin-off titles. It was released in...
(2007)
Sources
- Obituary at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Interview at TACGR, 1995
- Mark Haigh-Hutchinson at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...